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Articles by Julia S. Goldstein
Sustainability 101: Strategies for Equipment Suppliers
For our industry to fully embrace environmental sustainability, we need the entire supply chain involved. The industry giants can make all the proclamations they want, but without the support of their suppliers and their suppliers’ suppliers, they will find it very difficult to achieve their goals. Equipment is central to fab and assembly operations, and tool makers have many avenues to consider when it comes to sustainability. They need to work both upstream and downstream.
Sustainability 101: A Closer Look at E-waste
Recovering Noble Metals Apple made an audacious announcement in 2017, publicly stating a goal to eliminate mined rare earth elements from its iPhones. Stating such a goal, without a concrete plan to achieve it, was unheard of coming from the usually secretive Apple. It still isn’t clear how Apple will manage to remove mined metals from its phones, especially given the relatively short product development timeline.
Sustainability 101: Considering the Sustainable Development Goals
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.
Sustainability 101: What Makes A Sustainability Leader?
2024 marks the fourth year I will serve on the 3D InCites Sustainability Award judging panel. We want to recognize companies in our industry that are sustainability leaders. (In this blog post, when I say “sustainability leader” I’m referring to a company, not an individual within it.) The more often we can highlight progress in the right direction, the better we can encourage companies throughout the supply chain to join in.
Sustainability 101: Is PFAS Phase-Out like RoHS For the 2020s?
The semiconductor industry faces a new problem. How do we phase out PFAS chemicals in our manufacturing processes?
Sustainablity 101: Is B Corp Certification In Your Company's Future?
If you are familiar with B Corp certification, you probably associate B Corps with consumer brands like Patagonia or Ben & Jerry’s. Unless, of course, you work at Brewer Science. In 2021, the 3D InCites member became the first company in the semiconductor industry to earn B Corp certification. Over 6,400 Certified B Corps now operate in 88 countries and 159 industries. The certification process involves many detailed questions about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues.
The Truth Behind Award-Winning Author Status
My heart suddenly started pounding in my chest. I was sitting in a banquet room at the Hyatt Embarcadero chatting with the other writers at my table, trying to mask my nervousness. We were attending the San Francisco Writers Conference luncheon where the winners of their annual writing contest were to be announced. My soon-to-be-published book, Material Value, was one of the ten finalists in the nonfiction category. First, they announced the runner up and winner in fiction. Nonfiction was next.
MZ Technologies, Author at 3D InCites
An internationally respected System/ASIC company is adopting MZ Technologies’ GENIOTM 1.7 fully-integrated EDA co-design tool. The company adopted a full-suite license...
Sustainability 101: Critical Minerals and Urban Mining
In June, the GreenBiz Circularity conference came to Seattle. With the conference site about 15 miles from me, I had to go. The last day included an in-depth session called “Recovering Critical Minerals from E-Waste and the Untapped Urban Mine.” The speakers represented companies that are household names—Google, Intel, Best Buy—plus some that are less well-known, like ERI and the International Council on Mining and Metals. What are Critical Minerals?
Sustainability 101: It's Not Just Carbon
The idea of semiconductor manufacturing becoming a trillion-dollar industry is astounding, exciting, or worrisome, depending on your viewpoint. Growth in the sector will provide jobs and create products that will make life better for millions of people. But the more chips we make, the higher the environmental impact of their manufacture due, in part, to the use of greenhouse gasses (GHG).
Has The Semiconductor Industry Become More Sustainable?
The quick answer to the question; “Is the semiconductor industry becoming more sustainable?” is “yes and no.” There is undoubtedly more talk about sustainability and environmental impact, especially from the larger companies in our industry. In 2022, SEMICON West devoted an entire day to the topic for the first time. Awards recognizing companies for sustainability are popping up, including one from 3D InCites that started in 2021.
Sustainability 101: Water Conservation and Innovation
March 22 was World Water Day, a perfect excuse to reflect on water use in semiconductor manufacturing. What industry leaders are doing about water conservation All the nominees for the 3D InCites 2023 Sustainability Award are tackling water conservation and recycling. Henkel reduced water use per ton of product by 28% since 2010. Can it achieve its goal of a 35% reduction by 2025? TSMC is halfway to its goal of reducing water consumption per mask layer 30% by 2030.
Sustainability 101: Accidental Sustainability Wins
Has your company achieved any accidental sustainability wins? I’m talking about decisions you make not because of a desire to be environmentally responsible. The outcome just happens to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease energy consumption, conserve water, or create less waste. Recently, I have come across five examples of accidental sustainability wins. These are things that people have told me about in conversation.
Sustainability 101: What Good Are Awards?
Awards and rewards can motivate behavior. An obvious example is online gaming, where players earn stars, points, or access to special features. The reward system is geared toward encouraging people to keep playing the game. When I complete a New York Times crossword puzzle without hints on the day it publishes, I get a gold star. That’s better than a blue star for completing it late or requesting hints. I also get recognized for consistency.
Sustainability 101: Sustainability Starts with Design
You may be familiar with the concept of Design for Manufacturing or Design for Manufacturability. I suspect that many 3D InCites readers have given less thought to Design for Sustainability (DfS). Why does DfS matter? It is essential to design with sustainability in mind because choices in materials, processes, and product specifications define much of the environmental impact of a product. The primary goals of DfS are to reduce the depletion of natural resources and energy consumption.
The Right to Repair
I host online discussions about sustainable manufacturing. During one of these events in October that included participants from the 3D InCites community, I asked what topics people wanted to read about in the blog. Someone brought up recycling and repair of smartphones. With increased emphasis on the right to repair, I agreed that this is a worthwhile topic for discussion. Sustainability Starts with Design Sustainable design practices cover a wide range of issues.
Five Reasons to Publish Sustainability Reports
Does your company publish an annual report that includes not only financial data but also data on the company’s impact on society? It might be called an integrated report, a sustainability report, or an ESG report. The answer, increasingly, is yes. Why are more companies writing and publishing these reports? The answers are similar to why we do anything. Someone told us to, we want the results from doing it, or we are concerned about what will happen if we don’t do it.
Chiplets and Sustainability
Advances in packaging can improve yield and reduce cost. Can they also reduce the environmental footprint of an electronic device? Let’s consider one example, the chiplet. Instead of large-monolithic CPUs with multiple functions integrated into one piece of silicon, the functions are divided between multiple smaller chiplets mounted on an organic or silicon substrate.
Sustainability at SEMICON West: Design, Processing, and Collaboration
It is encouraging that SEMI is paying more attention to environmental issues. As Dean Freeman reported, SEMICON West devoted an entire day to the topic at its Sustainability Summit, led by Bhat. There was also a Materials and Sustainability panel discussion the previous day. I gave a talk called “How to Tell the Right Sustainability Story for Printed Electronics” in the Strategies and Sustainability session at the co-located FLEX Conference.
Sustainability 101: Cleaner and Greener Cleaning
Household hazardous waste includes quite a few products that are related to cleaning. In the list that I compiled for my book Rethink the Bins, 9 of the 35 common hazardous waste items are cleaning products of some kind: chlorine bleach, oven cleaners, paint thinners, and more. There are safer ways to clean our homes. Baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice come to mind. Commercial companies also make cleaning products that meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice guidelines.
Sustainability 101: The Struggle to Remove Lead from Solders
My last post here asked the question, are your products toxic? Perhaps I should have said your products are toxic. What do you plan to do about that? Removing even one toxic compound from semiconductor manufacturing takes much longer than expected. Leaded or Unleaded? Lead in solder is an excellent example. Twenty years after the industry started weaning itself off of Pb-based solders in anticipation of the Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, we are still not done.
Today is Earth Day, April 22. What’s so special about Earth Day? Shouldn’t we care about our planet every day? Earth Day is special for me personally because it’s also the anniversary of the day I became a published author. My first book, Material Value, came out on April 22, 2019. I’m considering releasing an updated version next year on the fourth anniversary of the book’s release. Enough about me. How is Earth Day relevant to you? Perhaps more important than Earth Day is Earth Overshoot Day.
Sustainability Report Card: How Does Your Company Measure Up?
We are in year three of a global pandemic that has changed our perspective on health, the economy, and inequality. Attitudes toward environmental sustainability have also shifted in the past two years. We experienced cleaner air resulting from just a few months of shutdowns in manufacturing and transportation, followed by an uptick in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pollution as operations resumed.
Sustainability 101: SEMI Initiatives and the Need for Industry-Wide Action
I find it encouraging that SEMI is stepping up its efforts to help the semiconductor industry become more environmentally responsible. There have been technology roadmaps in this industry for as long as I can remember. Now we’re talking about sustainability roadmaps and standardized reporting processes. On March 18, I attended a SEMI-sponsored webinar called “Environmental Sustainability—Semiconductor Industry Challenges.” Here are a few of my takeaways.
Sustainability 101: The Role of Secondary Markets in Greening the Semiconductor Industry
It’s a great time to be selling secondhand or refurbished goods. Individuals wanting to adopt greener lifestyles often turn to secondary markets for everything from clothing to furniture. The dual benefits of saving money and saving the planet are very appealing. Gently used items can be just as functional and attractive as new ones. Older or much-loved pieces often need refurbishing. They can benefit from minor repairs, new upholstery (perhaps using secondhand fabrics), or a new coat of paint.
The Circular Economy, Part II–Improving E-waste - 3D InCites
In a fully circular economy, nothing becomes waste. That includes all the components and materials inside smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices. Our global economy is far from circular. Recycling rates for electronic waste (e-waste) are estimated at 17% globally. Most of the recycling happens in Europe, where the rate is approaching 50%. The Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, which went into effect in 2012, is largely responsible.
Water Management - Global Problem, Local Solutions - 3D InCites
Of all the natural resources that manufacturing consumes, fresh water is the one where demand might outstrip supply. The concept of “peak oil” forecast decades ago never materialized. Driven by profits, companies developed ways to extract oil and gas from additional sources. We need to curtail our consumption of oil and gas to avoid catastrophic climate change, but the supply is not disappearing. The situation is similar to extracting minerals to produce metals.
Sustainability 101: Chemicals of Concern - Beyond RoHS
Semiconductor manufacturing involves many “chemicals of concern,” or compounds that are hazardous to human health and the environment.
Sustainability 101, The Product Lifecycle: Sustainability and the Supply Chain
Sustainability should start in the design phase. When engineers consider environmental impact during product design, they may be able to avoid toxic materials, reduce solvent and water use, improve energy efficiency during manufacturing, and make it easier to recover components at the end of the product’s life. But a design cannot be realized if the chosen materials, chemicals, and components are not readily available on the market.
Sustainability 101: Circular Economy, Part I –What is Zero Waste? - 3D InCites
Someone once asked me if the circular economy requires a specific type of currency. Let’s clear up some basic misconceptions. The circular economy: Has nothing to do with cryptocurrency Relates to how we extract and use materials to make products Stands in contrast to decades of growth in the linear economy The diagram below illustrates the basic concept.
Sustainability 101: Sustainability Reporting Standards and Trends
You have probably heard that what gets measured is what matters. That is the idea behind sustainability reporting. Companies that issue reports make a public statement about their past actions and future goals around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Sustainability reporting is no substitute for action, but it can often spur action by pointing out gaps and opportunities. Sustainability reporting is relatively new.
Sustainability 101: GHG Emissions - Definitions and Scopes
Welcome to Sustainability 101. The purpose of this blog post series is to define what we mean when we mention sustainability and reach a shared understanding of common terms. The series will cover: Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—Definitions and scopes Sustainability reporting—standards and trends Circular economy, part I—What is zero waste?
How Writing a Book is Different from Making a Jigsaw Puzzle
Why my 2017 blog post didn’t quite get it right My most popular blog post for 2020 was called, “Why Writing a Book is Like Making a Jigsaw Puzzle.” I didn’t write that post this year, though. I published it in March of 2017 when I was formulating the ideas for my first book. Part of a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle I made this year. That 2017 post made some valid points, but it wasn’t entirely accurate. Here are three reasons why writing a book is not like making a jigsaw puzzle: 1.
Using the Fourth Industrial Revolution to fight COVID-19 around the world
From artificial intelligence for medical diagnostics to mobile technology for data collection and contact tracing, technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution offer efficient and effective ways to cope with the speed, scope, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ECTC Time Machine: Lead-free Solder, Environmental Reporting, and Next-Gen Sensors
Attending ECTC 2019 this year was like a trip through a time machine. From my post at the 3DInCites booth, I talked to people I’ve known for decades and others I was meeting for the first time. By visiting booths and listening to presentations, I gained insight into how the semiconductor packaging industry has evolved in the past decade and why work I did ten or 25 years ago is newly relevant.
MATERIAL VALUE by Julia Goldstein
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Printed Electronics to the Rescue
(October/November 2018) posted on Wed Dec 12, 2018 In the rush to find markets for functional printing, manufacturers of printed antennas, batteries, and other innovative products may be overlooking the environmental advantage of the technology. click an image below to view slideshow By Julia Goldstein Printed electronics has been on the verge of commercial success for nearly a decade.
Scientists make first observations of how a meteor-like shock turns silica into glass
The results imply that meteors hitting Earth and other celestial objects are smaller than originally thought. This new information will be important for modeling planetary body formation and interpreting evidence of impacts on the ground. The experiments took place at SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray laser, a DOE Office of Science User Facility whose ultrafast pulses can reveal processes taking place in millionths of a billionth of a second with atomic resolution.
Erratum. National Institutes of Health–Sponsored Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium Phase 3 Trial: Manufacture of a Complex Cellular Product at Eight Processing Facilities. Diabetes 2016;65:3418–3428
Erratum. National Institutes of Health–Sponsored Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium Phase 3 Trial: Manufacture of a Complex Cellular Product at Eight Processing Facilities. Diabetes 2016;65:3418–3428 Camillo Ricordi, Julia S. Goldstein, A.N. Balamurugan, Gregory L. Szot, Tatsuya Kin, Chengyang Liu, Christine W. Czarniecki, Barbara Barbaro, Nancy D. Bridges, Jose Cano, William R. Clarke, Thomas L. Eggerman, Lawrence G. Hunsicker, Dixon B.
National Institutes of Health-Sponsored Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium Phase 3 Trial: Manufacture of a Complex Cellular Product at Eight Processing Facilities | Diabetes
National Institutes of Health–Sponsored Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium Phase 3 Trial: Manufacture of a Complex Cellular Product at Eight Processing Facilities Camillo Ricordi, Julia S. Goldstein, A.N. Balamurugan, Gregory L. Szot, Tatsuya Kin, Chengyang Liu, Christine W. Czarniecki, Barbara Barbaro, Nancy D. Bridges, Jose Cano, William R. Clarke, Thomas L. Eggerman, Lawrence G. Hunsicker, Dixon B. Kaufman, Aisha Khan, David-Erick Lafontant, Elina Linetsky, Xunrong Luo, James F.
PTW Group, Author at 3D InCites
About PTW Group For more than 15 Years, PTW Group has been your Partner for Legacy Tool Support. We have been supporting you on your way to more sustainability through REUSE, REFURB, RENEW, RECYCLE. PTW’s history goes back to a workshop in Austria founded in 2007 who supported local semiconductor manufacturing plants with parts and upgrades. On 21 April 2015, PTW Asia LTD was established in Singapore to expand its support to all semiconductor and photonic factories worldwide.
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