TI strives for zero waste in all aspects of our operations. We work to convert streams that might produce waste into a process stream that loops back to feed itself anew.

We particularly acknowledge the "cycle" part of recycling. Reducing our use of chemicals or disposables that are difficult to reprocess has been identified as the logical starting point. When it comes time to dispose of used material, all TI production sites adhere to written processes tailored specifically for each waste stream. At the end of the procurement-use-recycle process, we start over again, replacing materials with recyclable substitutes if possible.

The regulatory climate of any given site worldwide affects the way a recycling program is operated. Some sites can burn waste for energy production and count that as recycling. Other sites have very stringent regulations prescribing what can be recycled and how. Instead, we draw on scientific principles to guide our procurement, use and disposal of materials used in wafer manufacturing and other processes.

Recycling initiatives

Each of TI's 11 major production sites around the world operates a robust recycling program. Globally, more than 30,000 employees participate in recycling efforts. They learn about programs we offer through employee awareness training and our internal TI Recycling Web site.

Different jurisdictional authorities are responsible for classifying industrial waste, non-industrial waste and hazardous waste. These wastes span everything from absorbents associated with cleaning processes and wood and paper products to cafeteria waste, scrapped computer chips, and wafers.

Office waste

We work to recycle office refuse through a variety of means. Workplaces and conference rooms have recycling bins for office paper, corrugated boxes, pamphlets, folders and aluminum cans. Recyclables are picked up from office as well as factory areas, transported to our building docks, weighed, sorted and bundled, and sent to recycling centers.

Cafeteria waste

In Texas, we continued to roll out an organic cafeteria waste recycling program at three facilities in 2007 after realizing success at our Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, site. We shipped approximately 193.4 tons of food to the city of Plano for composting. Plano trucks pick up the organic waste free of charge, resulting in additional cost savings for TI. Because of the program's success, TI won the city's 2007 Environmental Star of Excellence Award for Outstanding Organic Recycling. We are now working to identify ways we can recycle food containers and utensils.

In Malaysia, the site sends approximately 1,400 pounds of cafeteria waste per day to its outdoor rapid composting system, the first of its kind in that country. The composting machine runs nonstop to aerate the material and break down waste. Every two days, the partially composted material is sent to a facility where it is sifted to make fertilizer for organic farmers.

Industrial waste

Industrial waste originates from industrial operations and is classified according to the regulating body in the region of origin. It primarily includes chemicals used in manufacturing processes.

In 2007, TI generated an estimated 28,188 tons of industrial waste. Of this, about 25,899 tons were recycled and some 2,289 tons were disposed of in permitted landfills.

Manufacturing waste

TI also follows steps to either substitute or recycle waste from manufacturing operations. We have reduced chemical use by recapturing and recycling valuable pump oils. In some cleanup applications, we use high-pressure water in place of chemicals. Elsewhere, we replace chemicals with environmentally benign substitutes when possible.

The company reuses materials and resources in several different ways. TI has implemented methods to recover metals from solids, liquids and sludge. Some items, including certain solvents, are burned in boilers or industrial furnaces for energy recovery.

Chemical reuse programs have been put in place at TI locations worldwide. We also recycle water used in our fabrication processes by feeding it to utility plant cooling towers for heating and cooling purposes.

Silicon wafer recycling

TI has been working for several years to keep scrap wafers out of the waste stream by recycling them for use in solar energy cells. TI sells scrap wafers to solar energy cell manufacturers in the United States, Japan, Germany and Hong Kong. The German and Japanese governments have significant green energy programs in which they subsidize the creation and use of solar cells to produce electricity.

Our recycled wafers have produced enough solar panels to supply hundreds of homes with electricity year-round, which may have kept 14.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. The November 2007 issue of Fast Company magazine ranked TI's silicon wafer recycling effort 17th in a list of 50 programs that top U.S. companies are pursuing to advance corporate America's green movement.

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2007 performance

TI recently modified our solid waste recycling goal to better reflect actual environmental impacts. Rather than simply measuring recycling rates and waste reduction, this new goal measures efficiency in recycling and minimizing the quantity of chemicals and materials that leave our sites for no other use or purpose except disposal. This metric tracks the efficient use of resources by comparing the weight of reused or recycled material to the weight of disposed material.

Our goal is to target either an overall 95 percent efficiency rate for recycling efforts or a 5 percent reduction in waste disposal from the previous year. In general, our 2007 efficiency performance did not meet our goals. Although nearly every site achieved at least one goal, we ended the year with a worldwide efficiency rate of 91 percent and a 35.7 percent increase in year-on-year waste disposal.

Our results were negatively impacted due to a number of wastewater issues at our Stafford, Texas, facility. Excluding this site, the results worldwide are 95.1 percent efficiency and a 14.6 percent improvement in year-on-year waste disposal. Twelve of 16 TI sites achieved either a 95 percent recycling efficiency, a 5 percent improvement from the previous year, or both.

In 2008, TI will continue to focus on opportunities to expand our recycling activities, thus improving our environmental efficiency. These focus areas will include making additional efforts to ensure that a larger percentage of the content in organic recycling waste streams is suitable for composting.

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