TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TSMC supplier San Fu Chemical is eying opportunities to recycle chemicals used in semiconductor manufacturing, Nikkei Asia reported Thursday.

San Fu Chemical Chair Simon Wu (巫信弘) said the company is expanding plants in Tainan to process and purify used chemicals. Many chipmaking chemicals can be recycled for use in other applications, but few can be reused in chipmaking due to the industry’s exacting purity standards.

“Our target is to turn used chemicals back into semiconductor-grade chemicals and put them back into the chip production lines,” Wu explained. He added the company is working with chipmakers to verify that recycled chemicals meet semiconductor purity standards.

Wu said chipmakers have an incentive to test green chemicals. “This presents an opportunity to transform what was previously considered waste into a valuable resource for chip production,” he said.

Despite macroeconomic uncertainties, Wu said the prospects for chemicals used in semiconductor manufacturing are more stable than those in other sectors. He also said his company is considering expanding operations in Japan.

Wu’s remarks come as the tech industry aims to reduce carbon emissions. On Nov. 13, TSMC opened its Zero Waste Manufacturing Center in Taichung.

San Fu is the world’s largest producer of recycled and recovered tetramethylammonium hydroxide, used as a developer and cleaner in making chips.