In evaluating companies for the 3D InCites Sustainability Award, we consider progress on four of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Clean Water and Sanitation (6), Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Responsible Consumption and Production (12), and Climate Action (13). Many more of the UN SDGs are directly or indirectly related to the environmental sustainability of our industry.
Here are a few examples.
SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
The goal of this SDG is to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.” One target is to “Substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination” by 2030.
The semiconductor industry can do its part by working to phase out hazardous chemicals and gases. In the short term, facilities can improve abatement, safety measures, and filtration to ensure that hazardous wastes do not contaminate the air, water, or soil.
Even though semiconductor manufacturing cannot entirely avoid using hazardous materials, we are also part of the solution. Sensors that our industry produces can monitor conditions to identify unsafe conditions so they can be remediated.
SDG 4: Quality Education
This SDG aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” That goal may not appear to be directly related to our industry’s sustainability measures. But gender parity (one aspect of this SDG) correlates with a greater focus on social and environmental responsibility. When we promote women to leadership positions, we give them the opportunity to influence the corporate culture and prioritize sustainability. This is not to say that men cannot prioritize sustainability, just that women need a seat at the decision-making table.
We can also better educate employees about the environmental impacts (positive and negative) of our operations so that they can be empowered to make decisions that move these impacts in the right direction.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
The goal of promoting “sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all” is relevant to all industries.
There are many ways that skilled workers can contribute to our industry’s growth. We can offer job opportunities to workers in the least developed countries by choosing where to locate facilities. If we do so with strict environmental regulations in mind, we can improve local economies while not endangering workers or nearby residents.
SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.
One stated aspect of resilient infrastructure is to “retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.” Innovation focused on improving process efficiency and yield can contribute to this goal.
The UN SDGs are a useful lens with which to view progress on sustainability. They overlap, so it is helpful to look at all of them. Which ones does your company embrace, and which ones can inspire you to do more?
