As the world joins effort to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, industries are working together to expand the scope of carbon reduction through the establishment of a green supply chain. For years, LCY has long been committed to the research and development of low-carbon products as innovation in material science offers solutions to the negative impacts of climate change. LCY’s Green Transformation Team (GTT), recently established by the ESG Sustainability Strategy Committee (ESG SCC), expands the recruitment of green-collar talents from across the globe. The Team aims to realize the company’s ESG blueprint strategy through organizational transformation to move toward a carbon-neutral future.

GTT Creates a Sustainability Blueprint through Cross-Departmental Collaboration with a Focus on Business Operation
This year, LCY reevaluates ESG SSC priorities to focus on the aspects of green transformation, employee wellbeing, social engagement and corporate governance. The GTT is a newly established team with Joey Lin, Vice President of Research and Development, sitting as the Chairperson. The Team strives to motivate the company and business partners to move towards carbon neutrality through cross-departmental collaboration, inter-business unit actions and innovation in R&D.

The GTT’s efforts span four major areas: process optimization, energy & low carbon tech, green products, and circular economy.

“LCY will fully utilize inter-business unit and cross-departmental collaboration to facilitate green transformation within the organization. In addition to our partnership with the Green Energy and Environment Research Labs of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), we also cultivate employees’ skills in managing product footprint. Carbon footprint verification of manufacturing sites is also key to fully understanding carbon emission hotspots. LCY wants to establish a pathway of carbon reduction that is more aligned with the company’s mission to meet the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Lin.

In terms of circular economy, in addition to supplying electronic-grade isopropyl alcohol (EIPA) to the semiconductor industry to clean wafers, LCY also recycles the waste solution. The innovative proprietary “Dual Cycle Circular Economy” model developed by LCY recycles the waste solution to produce EIPA which is once again used by semiconductor manufacturers. Meanwhile, wastewater from the waste solution is recycled and collected for industrial use by LCY’s cooling towers. This is a successful circular economic model applied in industrial use. According to statistics, compared to a linear economic model, the use of recycled and distilled EIPA reduces carbon footprint by about 34%.

ITRI Shares Management Expertise to Groom Green-Collar Talents
LCY has actively sought partnership with the Green Energy and Environment Research Labs of the ITRI to ensure products’ sustainable competitiveness in light of the cost risks associated with the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the imposition of carbon fees in all major markets. The partnership has led to the implementation of product carbon footprint management training at LCY’s five major manufacturing sites in Taiwan, along with plants in North America and China. Carbon footprint verification for all product lines is expected to be completed by the end of this year, obtaining DNV ISO 14067 Certifications on Product Carbon Footprint along the way.

“LCY underscores the importance of green competitiveness, that is why experts from our Labs offer training to establish skill sets in product carbon footprint verification. The goal is to help Taiwan-based manufacturing sites to fully invest in accounting and analysis of product carbon footprint,” said Dr. Vincent Huang from the Green Energy and Environment Research Labs of the ITRI.

ITRI is equipped with expertise and a rich carbon footprint database. In terms of low-carbon transition and grooming green-collar talent, ITRI offers carbon reduction pathway evaluation through hotspot analysis; when coupled with product and manufacturing process optimization, ITRI helps LCY realize talent and product competitiveness.

Recruit Green-Collar Talents to Enhance Sustainability Competitiveness
LCY’s commitment to carbon reduction is not only demonstrated in its organizational transformation, but also in the implementation of employee sustainability training and career development as a part of the company’s green transformation. LCY has also invested heavily in R&D to continue to drive innovation. In 2021 alone, LCY employees in Taiwan and China reported more than 50,000 hours combined in sustainability training. Furthermore, green products account for 10% of the overall revenue. Since LCY’s R&D Center’s establishment in 2019, more than $2.5 billion has been invested to continue creating breakthroughs in green innovation and moving towards the acquisition of more than 100 patents.

As LCY’s global operation continues to grow, the company is expanding its recruitment of green-collar employees as it is vital to attract cross-disciplinary talent who can provide solutions that meet the goal of a carbon-neutral future. The pool of talent will include but is not limited to manufacturing engineers, R&D researchers, digitalization engineers, data scientists, etc. Reflecting on this need, LCY created the “Craft New Chapter” recruitment campaign. The campaign called for more than 2000 employees worldwide to share their voices on the company’s culture and commitment to sustainability. In addition, LCY participated in 104 Job Bank’s “Be A Giver” social campaign, where six plant managers from Taiwan offered their insight on ESG-related work experiences and career guidance. It is hoped that LCY’s values and commitment to transform will resonate and attract promising talent.