Waste Management

Waste management is a sub-topic under pollution prevention. As a manufacturer of color chemicals, specialty chemicals, electronic chemicals and pharmaceuticals, Everlight Chemical actively recycles reusable materials (including through supplier take-back programs and reusing containers for product delivery) in each step of its day-to-day operations, including raw material sourcing, product shipment, production process, environmental pollution prevention and so on. Measures include the following:
  • Enhance the circular nature of production processes and use innovative technology (e.g., mixing dilute acid solutions and iron mud from different processes to form ferrous sulfate for wastewater treatment; using phosphoric acid solutions to create monosodium/disodium phosphate for manufacturing purposes; and using thin-film concentration techniques to improve solvent recovery).
  • Utilize the shortest path in the outer loop of the circular economy (e.g., directly providing zinc sulfate, a by-product from our production process, to customers for the production of zinc oxide), cut waste at the source and actively encourage waste recycling, raising awareness and improving resource efficiency
Industrial waste management and disposal are implemented in compliance with waste disposals and the Company’s Waste Management Procedures. Industrial waste is categorized for on-site and off-site treatment. For off-site treatment, we outsource to third-party services for recycling/reuse, incineration or landfilling based on the characteristics of the industrial waste generated.
  • On-site Treatment: certain hazardous industrial waste (mainly solvent waste at ECIC Plant III) is treated on-site and the steam from the process is collected for further use
  • Off-site Treatment: waste is collected by suppliers for recycling/reuse or contracted for third-party incineration. All outsourced waste disposal goes to nationally certified professional vendors (with no cross-border waste disposal practices)
We implement robust waste management processes, including on-site waste sorting, storage and labeling; screening and evaluation of disposal service vendors; tracking and management of waste weighing and disposal trucks; online filing and verification of waste disposal manifests; regular inspections on vendors and spot checks on disposal trucks (random checks to ensure outsourced waste has been properly handled); implementation of contingency plans to prevent any additional environmental burden or pollution risk from waste disposal. Each plant has obtained proper waste treatment records for the declared quantity of industrial waste to ensure that all outsourced industrial waste was handled appropriately. The scope of waste management performance indicators and results includes our subsidiaries (Everlight Suzhou, Trend Tone Imaging). Our management approach is as follows:
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Policy & Commitment

Our company is committed to sustainable use of natural resources. We actively promote waste reduction and resource recycling.

Governance Body

  • The Company’s Environmental Management Committee
  • Environmental management team and dedicated environmental protection unit at each plant

Management Approach

We have adopted the following waste management measures.

  • Reuse and recycle more waste
  • Classify and reduce waste at the source
  • Ensure proper disposal and tracking of waste

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

  • Waste recycling and reuse rate (%): [Total amount of industrial waste recycled and reused / Total amount of industrial waste generated] × 100％
  • Proper disposal rate of hazardous industrial waste (%): [Total amount of properly treated hazardous industrial waste / (Total amount of hazardous industrial waste generated – Temporary storage) ] × 100％
  • Recycling rate of hazardous industrial waste (%): [Total amount of hazardous industrial waste recycled / Total amount of hazardous industrial waste generated] × 100%.

Evaluation Mechanism

  1. Environment management reviews (annual)
  2. ESG Committee meetings (twice every year)
  3. Plant policy reviews (annual)
  4. Internal audits on our environment management system (annual)
  5. External audits on our environmental management system by DNV (annual)
  6. Evaluation of waste disposal/management vendors (annual)

Targets

  • Waste recycling and reuse rate: ≧72% (2025); ≧73% (2030)
  • Proper disposal rate of hazardous industrial waste: 100% (2025); 100% (2030)
  • Recycling rate of hazardous industrial waste: ≧3.3% (2025); ≧3.5% (2030)

Resource Investment

  • Develop circular economy practices
  • Promote green chemistry practices
Waste Disposal in 2022

In 2022, the total weight of industrial waste generated was 10,497.4 tons (including 1,693.4 tons of hazardous industrial waste and 8,804.0 tons of general industrial waste), representing a 7% decrease compared to that of 2021 (11,315.5 tons). The total weight of recycled and reused waste was 7,534.8 tons, representing a high waste recycling and reuse rate of 72%. From the total amount of waste generated, we were also able to recycle 73.1 tons of hazardous industrial waste (representing a 4.3% recycling rate for hazardous industrial waste). Both waste recycling and reuse rate and recycling rate of hazardous industrial waste continued to increase, thanks to measures like packaging material recycling (e.g., vacuum storage bags, one-way containers, plastic bags, etc.) and reusing hazardous solvent waste (PGMEA) by streamlining processes.

2019-2022 Waste Generated & Disposal (Unit: Ton)

Location

Year

Waste Type

Disposal Method

(Note 1)

Subtotal

(Note 2)

Total

Waste Generated

Reuse

/Recycling

Incineration

Landfilling

Change in Temporary Storage

ECIC Plant I-IV

2019

Hazardous

30.8

1,709.1

0

-30.1

1,709.8

10,845.0

Non-Hazardous

6,864.5

498.5

1,805.1

-32.9

9,144.2

2020

Hazardous

46.9

1,372.0

0

34.4

1,453.3

8,634.8

Non-Hazardous

6,184.1

416.5

531.4

49.5

7,181.5

2021

Hazardous

64.4

1,727.2

0

61.6

1,853.2

10,874.4

Non-Hazardous

7,892.6

391.7

660.6

76.3

9,021.2

2022

Hazardous

60.2

1,598.4

0

-44.3

1,614.3

10,102.9

Non-Hazardous

7,403.5

557.3

662

-134.2

8,488.6

Trend Tone Imaging

2019

Hazardous

0

0.2

0

0

0.2

224.7

Non-Hazardous

48.1

176.4

0

0

224.5

2020

Hazardous

0

0.4

0

0

0.4

246

Non-Hazardous

62.8

167.9

14.9

0

245.6

2021

Hazardous

0

0.2

0

0

0.2

306.8

Non-Hazardous

35.3

146.7

63.3

61.3

306.6

2022

Hazardous

0

0

0

0

0

289.8

Non-Hazardous

47.7

126.8

176.6

-61.3

289.8

Everlight Suzhou

2019

Hazardous

0

101.9

0

0

101.9

120.8

Non-Hazardous

18.9

0

0

0

18.9

2020

Hazardous

0

192.8

0

0

192.8

213.3

Non-Hazardous

20.5

0

0

0

20.5

2021

Hazardous

0

117.4

0

0.4

117.8

134.3

Non-Hazardous

15.4

0

0

1.1

16.5

2022

Hazardous

12.9

65.6

0

0.6

79.1

104.7

Non-Hazardous

10.5

16.2

0

-1.1

25.6

  • Note:

    1. To ensure a more accurate representation of the total volume of waste generated for each year, we have also calculated and disclosed changes in temporary storage in our sustainability reporting this year.
    2. On-site storage represents the volume of waste in temporary storage at the end of the year, while other information is the sum of the quantity for each month rounded to one decimal place.
    3. Total waste generated = Total waste disposed during the year + Change in temporary storage.
    4. The above information includes waste that is subject to declaration as well as waste exempt from declaration (such as scrap metal, plastic waste, and paper waste, whose figures are based on weight note records) and is presented in tons.
    5. For 2022, on-site waste treatment included waste handled with incineration at ECIC Plant III (1,123.6 tons) and penetrant waste (for ink products) recycled and reused at Everlight Suzhou (12.9 tons). The rest of the waste was treated off-site.
Source of Waste & Waste Reduction Accomplishments
Waste Generated by Location (Total Waste Generated in 2022: 10,497.1 tons)

No Data Found

Change in Total Waste Generated (Group)
Composition of Waste Generated (Group)

No Data Found

The Group achieved a waste recycling and reuse rate of 72% in 2022 and will work towards a target of >73% in 2023.

Note:

  1. On-site storage represents the volume of waste in temporary storage at the end of the year, while other information is the sum of the quantity for each month rounded to one decimal place.
  2. Total waste generated = Total waste disposed during the year + Change in temporary storage.
  3. The above information includes waste that is subject to declaration as well as waste exempt from declaration (such as scrap metal, plastic waste, and paper waste, whose figures are based on weight note records) and is presented in tons.
Summary of Waste Management Performance
In 2022, to provide a more accurate representation of the total volume of waste generated each year, we also calculated and disclosed changes of waste in temporary storage. Both waste recycling & reuse rate and recycling rate of hazardous industrial waste continued to increase, thanks to measures like packaging material recycling (e.g., vacuum storage bags, one-way containers, plastic bags, etc.) and reusing hazardous solvent waste (PGMEA) by streamlining processes.

Waste Recycling & Reuse Rate

Unit: %

Proper Disposal Rate of Hazardous Industrial Waste

Unit: %

Recycling Rate of Hazardous Industrial Waste

Unit: %
Learn More
Note: We started to include subsidiaries in the monitoring of these indicators in 2021. To that end, we have referenced the headquarters’ 2018-2020 performance and future plans to devise feasible mid- and long-term targets for the Group as a whole.