Circular Economy

Everlight Chemical’s Brand Commitment:

Better Chemistry, Better Life

Better Chemistry Better Life. Everlight Chemical is committed to the pursuit of improvement and innovation. Harnessing a deep passion for research and connecting the best talent and ideas, we continue to create new possibilities. With unmatched expertise in the chemical industry, we support and contribute to the success of our customers. Our work helps build a better community and ensure a sustainable future. We believe that the innovative application of chemistry can help make the world a better place.

To ensure a sustainable environment for future generations, the transition from linear to a circular economy is crucial. As a professional chemical manufacturer, we aspire to serve as a catalyst for the transformation to a circular economy within the chemical supply chain, creating a better life for all.

 

Our Purpose

Based on the principles of “protecting and conserving natural resources,” “optimizing resource utilization” and “promoting system efficiency,” Everlight Chemical is committed to building a circular system for its operations. We aim to implement circular economy approaches in our management of energy efficiency, resource recycling, waste management, water resource management, material flow management, shipment and logistics, and air and noise pollution prevention, with the ultimate goal of achieving zero emissions and zero waste. To that end, we have established the Circular Economy Steering Committee and relevant policies to promote circular economy practices.
1. Purpose
Based on the principles of “protecting and conserving natural resources,” “optimizing resource utilization” and “promoting system efficiency,” Everlight Chemical is committed to building a circular system for its operations. We aim to implement circular economy approaches in our management of energy efficiency, resource recycling, waste management, water resource management, material flow management, shipment and logistics, and air and noise pollution prevention, with the ultimate goal of achieving “Zero Emissions and Zero Waste.”
2. Circular Economy Steering Committee
Everlight Chemical has established the Circular Economy Steering Committee, with two support teams (Regulatory, Cost-Benefit Assessment) and three operational teams (Technical, Production, Industry-Academia Collaboration) operating under the committee.
  • The Company’s General Manager serves as the chairperson of the committee and is responsible for promoting and overseeing progress on circular economy goals. The Deputy General Manager of Production is the deputy chairperson of the committee and is responsible for assisting the chairperson’s work in facilitating circular economy practices.
  • Committee members also include team leads of the teams under the committee.
  • The committee has also appointed an Executive Secretary, who is responsible for consolidating and announcing information on the committee’s work and decisions.
  • Procedures:
    The committee holds regular meetings in the second and fourth quarters of each year to report on and review implementation results, adjust goals related to the circular economy, and report upwards.
3. Work Process

The committee holds regular meetings in the second and fourth quarters of each year to report on and review the implementation results, as well as to adjust goals related to the circular economy as needed. Committee meetings are chaired by the Chairperson, or by the Deputy Chairperson in the Chairperson’s absence. Each team under the committee is responsible for overseeing the reports and implementation results by related departments. The Executive Secretary is responsible for sending meeting notifications, preparing meeting minutes, and tracking the performance of each team.

Product (Inner Loop)
Recycling 250 tons of PEG300, creating a financial benefit of NT$8 million per year in cost saving
  • Within the company, we process used materials through various methods (such as filtration, distillation
  • As an example, in 2022, we applied membrane separation technology to purify PEG300 used in our manufacturing process for reuse in our production process. The approach has helped us recycle around 250 tons of PEG300 annually, contributing to a cost saving of NT$8 million per year.
Industry Chain (Outer Loop)
Reduced waste generation by around 8,000 steel drums each year, creating a financial benefit of NT$7.5 million in cost saving
  • We collaborate with our upstream suppliers and downstream clients to reuse packaging materials or revitalize used raw materials, reducing expenses on packaging materials and waste generated in production processes.
  • For example, in terms of raw material packaging, we worked with our suppliers to replace steel drums with tanker trucks to transport imported raw materials and deliver them in batches based on our production needs. This led to a waste reduction of 8,000 steel drums (and a cost saving of NT$7.5 million) each year and also helped optimize storage space at our production facilities.

The Circular Economy Model We Aspire to Implement

  1. Adjustment of growth model
  2. Awareness of limited resources
  3. Zero-waste production process
  4. Collaboration with other businesses

With a focus on the circular economy, our plants actively adopt green chemistry practices.

Everlight Chemical draws upon industry best practices and strives to achieve sustainable resource utilization. We focus on prolonging the lifespan of products and materials in their original form, while also exploring ways to preserve the value of important components. Where preservation is not feasible, we process the resources through recycling and revitalization, preventing them from being lost or disposed of into the natural environment. To preserve every precious resource, we begin at the source, focusing on material selection and product design. As an example, ECIC Plant III has implemented the following eight steps of the technical cycle:
To preserve every valuable resource, we focus on the following eight stages:
1.Material Selection
Use safe and non-toxic materials, reduce material usage, and simplify composition
2.Product Design
Through modular design, make products that are easy to disassemble, repair, upgrade, remanufacture and recycle
3.Process Optimization
Aim for zero emissions, zero waste and zero accidents, maximizing the resource efficiency (including water and energy use) in each stage of the production process
4.Repurposing Byproduct
Utilize byproducts from production processes in another process or sell them as products
5.Maintenance/Reuse
Transfer product ownership through troubleshooting or parts replacement
6.Refurbishment/Remanufacturing
Refurbish and restore products to a near-new condition through thorough inspection and parts replacement
7.Sorting/Collection
Sorting refers to properly classifying products based on their composition at the end of their life cycle. Collection refers to sending the sorted products to appropriate collection and processing channels for recycling
8.Processing Regeneration
Process used products through a series of processing procedures to become secondary materials for the same or different products

Building a Circular Supply Chain and Implementing Green Chemistry

ECIC Plant III, which mainly produces specialty chemicals, has successfully applied the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry to identify opportunities for improvement in the plant’s operations, ranging from raw material procurement, production process to finished product output. The plant also actively collaborates with upstream suppliers and recycling facilities, striving towards the goal of zero waste. These efforts have contributed to meaningful waste reduction and financial benefits, including the following:
In 2022, led by the Human Resource Division, we initiated a project to develop an internal training course about circular economy practices. Efforts included training a group of colleagues to become instructors for the training program and establishing a curriculum development team. In 2023, we aim to roll out the training course across the Group to encourage all employees to put sustainability and the circular economy in practice.