Siltronic corporation receives EPA’s national environmental performance award

Siltronic Corporation (Portland) is being recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) for their outstanding commitment to consistently exceed environmental requirements and continuously improve their overall environmental performance.

Each year, the EPA recognizes top leaders in its Performance Track program. This year the EPA presented Environmental Performance Awards to four outstanding Performance Track members. The Environmental Performance Award is given to facilities that emulate the following programs goals: robust environmental performance; good compliance history; public reporting of environmental performance and a strong Environmental Management System.

“We congratulate Siltronic for its environmental leadership, making them one of this year’s National Environmental Performance Track award winners,” said Elin Miller, EPA’s Regional Admin-istrator in Seattle. “We look forward to seeing more Northwest companies, like Siltronic, becoming members of EPA’s Performance Track program and stepping up to environmental excellence.”

Siltronic’s award winning environmental record includes:

  • Reuse and reduction of nitric acid for manufacturing processes, resulting in a reduction of 172 tons between 2003 and 2005, a 53 percent reduction!

  • Improved water use efficiency of 33 percent, fare exceeded their goal.

  • Reduced annual energy use by more than 38 billion BTU (equivalent to 11,000 MWh).

EPA’s Performance Track program rewards facilities that voluntarily exceed regulatory require-ments, implement systems for improving environmental management, work with their communi-ties and set three-year environmental performance goals. Only facilities with a record of sustained compliance with environmental requirements are eligible to participate in this program.

“We are proud to receive this award from the EPA for our efforts in environmental performance. This recognition adds momentum to our work as we continue to enhance our sustainability goals in the future”, said Neil Nelson, Portland site president.

Siltronic is a global leader in the market for ultra-pure silicon wafers and the partner of numerous leading chip manufacturers. Siltronic develops and manufactures wafers with diameters of up to 300 mm at production sites in Europe, Asia, Japan and the United States. Silicon wafers form the heart of modern micro- and nanoelectronics – for computers, mobile telephones, Internet, DVD players, flat-panel displays, navigation systems, airbags, computer tomography machines, aircraft control systems and many other applications.