|
Intel operates
semiconductor fabrication and assembly/test facilities
in seven countries around the world. Water is a primary
production input used to clean silicon wafers during
fabrication and packaging. Because of the sensitive
nature of these processes, ultra pure water must be
used. Several of Intels plants operate in locations
where water resources are limited, such as Chandler,
AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Hudson, MA; and Israel.
Because the company operates water-intensive
manufacturing plants, it has had to share limited resources
with competing water needs in the local community, such
as municipal drinking water and sanitation, ecosystem
protection, agricultural production, and other industrial
uses. Historically, Intel has responded to the community
challenges at the plant level in different ways, reflecting
local concerns and conditions. For example:
- In Albuquerque, NM, Intel used
an integrated water management system to increase
water purification efficiency and to improve water
reuse. The site has offset over 50% of its freshwater
needs through water reuse.
- In Chandler, AZ, Intel sends treated
process water to an off-site, city-maintained treatment
plant that further treats the water to drinking water
standards before re-injecting nearly 1.5 million gallons
per day to recharge the underground aquifer.
- In Hudson, MA, a state-of-the-art
water management facility allowed Intel to boost production
by more than 50% without increasing current levels
of discharge to the local treatment plant.
- In Israel, wastewater is treated
to stringent quality standards and then used for irrigating
crops.
Although Intel recognizes the importance
of meeting local water challenges with responses tailored
to local conditions, it also realizes that it needs
to support local efforts with broader company resources.
As part of a strategic water management program, Intel
established the Corporate Industrial Water Management
Group to develop and implement program elements to improve
water use efficiency at their major manufacturing sites.
The group includes representatives from fabrication
sites, corporate technology development experts, and
regulatory compliance staff. The goals of the group
are to:
- Develop water management strategies,
standards, and tools to provide effective use and
reuse of industrial water to satisfy new and existing
manufacturing site requirements for sustainability,
growth, and environmental compliance
- Develop tools to effectively communicate
water use data throughout the corporation
The Group is helping Intel design
appropriate local responses to local issues in the context
of a company-wide approach. A number of benefits have
emerged from Intels water management efforts:
- Intels worldwide water use
has increased at a rate less than the production growth
- Principles of water management
supporting water reduction, reuse, and recycling are
now applied across all Intel sites and support each
facilitys development of water management strategies
- The Group has developed a set
of technology packages that can be applied to meet
the diverse water needs of each facility
- Intel has developed an Environmental
Awareness team dedicated to raising awareness about
water issues within the company and externally
- Intels
efforts have improved relations with local communities
in water-stressed areas, such as New Mexico and Arizona

|