At TI, sustainability means operating in a manner that balances people, profit, product and the planet. Sustainable manufacturing – using benign chemicals where possible and incorporating smart reuse and recycling practices – delivers products without exhausting resources, at a lower cost and a reduced environmental impact.

TI's manufacturing processes are managed based on internationally recognized standards established by the International Standards Organization 14001 and the Occupational Safety Health Assessment Series. A listing of TI manufacturing sites and their status relative to ISO 14001 can be found here.

Our company employs numerous controls to manage manufacturing's impact on the environment. Some examples include:

• Collecting, recycling and reusing water.
• Segregating and recycling solvents and metal-based solutions from our wastewater system.
• Treating industrial wastewater.
• Collecting and recycling scrap paper, metal, cardboard, wood, plastics and silicon.
• Improving energy efficiency to reduce electric use.
• Installing air emission control systems.
• Scrubbing corrosive and caustic exhausts to adjust pH.
• Installing "cool" white roofs on buildings.
• Improving the indoor environment by using low-emitting adhesives, sealants, paint, carpet and composite wood.

Eliminating hazardous substances

At TI, we comprehensively screen all incoming chemicals before incorporating them into our manufacturing lines. Screening includes a review of customer concerns and regulatory standards, in addition to any health, safety and environmental controls required for their use. If concerns about a chemical or material arise during review, the matter is elevated to a chemical and material review board staffed by TI experts.

If a chemical or material is thought to be necessary for manufacturing but concerns still exist, the company's manufacturing leaders review the issue, and in some cases authorize additional time and resources to seek a safer alternative or more stringent use controls.

Lead (Pb)

TI led the industry in developing Pb-free alternatives for products in the late 1980s, long before legislation required such measures. In 1989, we introduced our first Pb-free alternative, the nickel-palladium finish, many years before the European Union (EU) passed its Restriction on Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS). We completed most component conversions well ahead of the EU deadline.

While most of our customers have shifted to using Pb-free products, TI continues to manufacture a few applications that contain Pb for customers who require it. Upon request, TI can provide certification and analytical data from our suppliers to independently verify the content of the materials that go into TI Pb-free products.

In addition to achieving compliance with the EU's RoHs directive, TI's Pb-free products also meet China's new Management Methods for Controlling Pollution by Electronic Information Products (China RoHS) requirements. For products not identified for conversion, we work with customers to find suitable RoHS-compliant or other "green" solutions. We also maintain an Eco-Info and Pb-free Web site that allows customers to assess the compliance of our products throughout the supply chain.

This site was created in 2002 to enable customers to view and download reports that depict both the amount and the type of substances TI uses within our finished integrated circuit products. The information can be used to show compliance to regulations and other controlled substances on a global basis. In 2007, TI included download capabilities to standardize how this information was reported. The company also spent time evaluating the extent to which we can make our products halogen-free. This effort will continue in the coming year.

Europe and China's banned substances

In the past few years, both the European Union (EU) and China have come out with more stringent standards for product content and have banned some chemicals altogether. In 2006, the EU banned any new electrical or electronic equipment from containing lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl and polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants beyond a specified threshold.

China also published a new set of production requirements, the China Management Methods for Controlling Pollution by Electronic Information Products (China RoHS). Although TI components are not directly required to meet China RoHS labeling requirements, as of May 2007, TI changed its shipping labels and released the information needed by our customers to meet their compliance needs.

Halogens

One of the current challenges facing the technology industry today, including TI, is determining how to reduce or eliminate two halogens, Bromine (Br) and Chlorine (Cl), from our products. These materials are integral to semiconductor processing.

While halogen products themselves pose no risk, improper and unsafe recycling practices are being reported that can pose human risk. These practices heat electronic waste such as computer processors to recapture the precious metals. At lower-than-safe melting temperatures, the brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and poly vinyl chlorines (PVCs) can release toxic fumes.

The semiconductor industry recognizes we have little control over what happens to products once they are incorporated in end equipment. However, many distributors of technological products are under increasing pressure from environmental groups to eliminate this potential risk. Currently, no regulations exist that ban these halogens at the levels we use.

TI has been collaborating with our peers and our customers to address this challenge. Together, we are working with U.S. standardization bodies to develop appropriate halogen-free specifications.

We also continue to educate customers about the challenge of developing halogen-free products and the potential risk to product integrity. As part of this effort, TI began conducting an internal inventory of halogens used in our existing product line in 2007 and plans for halogen use in the future. We expect to issue a public update on TI's halogen use some time in 2008.

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Supplier stewardship

TI uses an internally developed program to evaluate our suppliers for environmental, health and safety (ESH) performance, whether they have established ESH policies, and how they are monitored to ensure compliance with ESH standards. This information is put in a central database, which is updated annually and shared with customers.

Additionally, TI ensures that raw material and external manufacturing suppliers comply with the EU's RoHS restrictions and other regulatory and customer requirements through an annual certification process. TI also offers proof-of-compliance analytical data for the six EU RoHS banned substances to those customers who want more than certification as proof of content compliance.

TI has been working with our supply chain to bring us greener chemicals and materials. Our goal is to develop manufacturing processes that use less energy and more benign chemicals.

As a supplier itself, TI has gone to great lengths to provide the kind of information and transparency we expect from our own suppliers. Our external Eco-Info and Lead (Pb)-free Web site, including a detailed product content database, allow customers to assess the materials contained in our products to ensure compliance throughout the supply chain.

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