TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese tech giants, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (ASE Group) have vowed to significantly boost their resource recovery rates and reduce plastic waste.

The companies made the pledge at a press event on Tuesday (April 19) held by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), which has mounted a campaign to slash industrial waste with a focus on the electronics sector. The industry is a primary generator of plastic waste, according to the EPA.

TSMC, the world’s largest chipmaker, has provided suppliers with a guide for using packaging materials and has developed more than 20 reusable products, with a plan to build a zero-waste center. Last year it reached a resource recovery rate of 66%, having treated 8,000 tons of plastic waste, and intends to hit 95% by 2025.

ASE Group, a semiconductor assembling and test manufacturing services provider, has established a recycling center that manages its plants' plastic waste. In 2021, the company hit a resource recovery rate of 68% and seeks to attain full reuse in two years.

According to the EPA, domestic enterprises produce 240,000 tons of discarded plastics per year, 28% of which are recovered. The EPA is pushing for a 75% threshold for electronics and components companies, which use most types of plastics.