Sustainability

Efficient Use of Water Resources

In line with our Basic Polices on Environmental Protection and Environmental Vision 2050, Fuji Electric aims to contribute to the achievement of a recycling-oriented society. To achieve this, we are promoting activities with the goal of realizing a circular economy throughout our entire supply chain.

Efficient Use of Water Resources

The issue of water resource depletion has become a global concern. Therefore, in addition to complying with wastewater standards, Fuji Electric has set targets for reducing water intake per unit of sales to promote the efficient use of water resources. In fiscal 2025, our company-wide water intake decreased by 1.8% year-on-year, due to water conservation and water leak countermeasures at each factory. Our company-wide water intake per unit of sales was 0.81 thousand m³ per 100 million yen. To utilize water resources more efficiently, we have also been advancing water recycling efforts. In order to improve our recycling rate, due to strengthened management of supplied water and facility maintenance, the water recycling rate for fiscal 2025 improved by 0.5% year-on-year to 21.5%. To improve this further, we installed additional recycled water production facilities at Matsumoto Factory, which will begin operations in April 2026.

Water Stress Risk Assessment

Fuji Electric has conducted an assessment using Aqueduct 4.0* to identify whether any of our production sites worldwide are exposed to water stress risks. As a result, certain sites in the Asian region have been identified as having high water stress risk; however, it has been confirmed that the water intake volume at these sites is relatively low.

Our Shenzhen Factory in China, which produces photoreceptors, was evaluated with an Aqueduct 4.0 score of 2 out of 5, indicating a low-risk area. However, the region does not have large rivers, and the stability of water supply is generally considered a challenge due to increased economic activity and population growth. In fact, from 2021 to 2022, a severe drought occurred as a result of the La Niña phenomenon.
Taking these conditions into consideration, our company has classified the Shenzhen Factory as a water risk watchlist site and has implemented the following measures:

Through these efforts, we are working to strengthen the stable water supply system in the Shenzhen region throughout the year.

Status of water intake management

At Fuji Electric, the majority of our production facilities are located in industrial parks, which are supplied with both industrial water and tap water (drinkable water); some of our facilities also use groundwater. We provide annual reports on groundwater intake volumes in Japan to the relevant authorities, and make efforts to ensure we use local Water Resources in an appropriate manner. We use groundwater at 14 (out of 19) facilities in Japan, and it accounts for 56.3% of our total water intake volume. In the past, groundwater intake has resulted in land subsidence in Japan; today, however, the government has established standards to ensure that water intake volumes are managed appropriately. Accordingly, social issues caused by water intake are almost non-existent. At our overseas facilities, we use groundwater at 1 (out of 14), and it accounts for 0.05% of our total water intake volume. In addition, at 5 factories including 4 front-end semiconductor factories with high water consumption (Matsumoto, Yamanashi, Tsugaru, and Malaysia) and Shenzhen Factory, we promote water recycling to control and manage water intake volumes. At other sites, too, we act swiftly in cases where ISO 14001 environmental impact assessments identify significant impacts due to water consumption. In addition to conserving water in our everyday activities, we strive to reduce water intake through measures such as the early detection and repair of water leaks, water recycling, and the installation of above-ground piping in factories (visualization).

Status of wastewater management

We strictly control wastewater at factories that use chemical substances in accordance with our own standards, which are stricter than those mandated legally. If an abnormality is detected in the wastewater treatment system, we have resident repair personnel in place to respond immediately, and we maintain a system to constantly monitor the pH of wastewater. In the event of a problem, our drainage outlets are automatically shut down to prevent wastewater that does not meet official standards from leaking externally. This substandard wastewater is kept in drainage reservoirs until remediation is completed. By strictly managing wastewater in these ways, we strive to minimize the impact of our activities on the ecosystem.

Topics
Efficient use of water resources at Matsumoto factory

At Matsumoto Factory, the mother factory for semiconductors, a large amount of pure water is used in the manufacturing process for front-end semiconductor processes, and a lot of water is also used for cooling production equipment. Therefore, reducing water consumption and the efficient use of water resources are important themes for our efforts.

Grinding Chip Recovery Membrane Unit

Recycling and Resource Utilization of Backgrinding (BG) Wastewater

In the wafer backgrinding (BG) process, the water used for processing contained cutting chips and could not be recycled, so the water was treated as wastewater and the cutting chips as industrial waste. Therefore, we switched to a system that separates and removes solids such as cutting chips from the wastewater and reuses the cleanly treated water as raw water for producing pure water. At the same time, we collect the recovered cutting chips as valuable materials, leading to a reduction in waste. As a result, we have reduced the volume of pure water used and wastewater generated, while also reducing the treatment load at the factory.

Dicing Wastewater Recycling System

Recycling and Resource Utilization of Dicing Wastewater

In the dicing process, where wafers are separated into individual chips, the water used for cutting contained cutting chips and could not be recycled, so the water was treated as wastewater and the cutting chips as industrial waste. This time, in fiscal 2025, we introduced a recycling system to the Si line at Matsumoto Factory that removes cutting chips and other materials from the dicing wastewater, recycles the water, and returns it to the process as pure water. In fiscal 2026, we also plan to introduce this system to the SiC line at Matsumoto Factory and to Yamanashi Factory. Through these efforts, we will reduce the volume of pure water used and wastewater generated, thereby reducing our environmental impact.