ST’s actions on material declaration

Interview with Philippe Levavasseur, Corporate Environment Health & Safety Deputy Director

Due to environmental problems at worldwide level, regulations for companies are becoming more and more stringent. As a pioneer in environmental protection, and staying true to its strategy, ST has been able to anticipate all the recently published laws and regulations and ensure compliance.

Chemical products and ROHS directive

In 1997 we started a voluntary program to remove polluting and hazardous substances from all our devices. In 2000, we launched ECOPACK™, a strategic program to develop environmentally friendly packaging and to gradually ban lead (Pb) and other heavy metals from our manufacturing lines.

This strategy was fully in line with the European ROHS (Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances) directive published later in 2002. Therefore, once lead-free (Pb-free), ST devices were RoHS compliant as well. Similarly we selected three other technologies (NiPdAu, Pure Sn and SnAgCu Ball) based on their maturity, manufacturing feasibility and capacity and market acceptance, and we were able to eliminate the chemical substances in question in a timely and transparent manner. Again, ST was ready before the ROHS regulation entered into force, in July 2006.

We also make sure our suppliers are in line with our own rules concerning the use of chemicals and hazardous substances. We created our own list of banned substances, to which we regularly add the requests of our customers. When buying materials, we require compliance with our chemical lists and, for critical materials such as molding compounds, glues, lead frame and substrates, we require lab analyses from our raw materials suppliers.

To follow such requirements, we set up a chemical committee for each site. It aims to:

• make sure we don’t buy product substances that are on our list of banned substances
• analyze precisely the risks at each workstation, with a chemical-specific risk assessment at all locations where the chemical can be used (storage, distribution systems, work stations, etc.)
• evaluate the potential for Environmental and Health & Safety (EHS) exposure
• eliminate or reduce the risks to the best achievable level with the use of proper EHS devices (protective equipments, double containment, closed systems, air emissions abatement systems).

Today, our list of banned chemicals covers around 1,000 substances. Our internal criteria for adding a substance to these lists are based on the most stringent worldwide regulations and on the evidence of a particular danger (CMR* substances for example).

Another more stringent step with REACH

The new requirement with the REACH regulation in Europe is that all used substances must be registered. Authorization is needed for high concern substances such as CMRs*, PBTs** or vPvB***.

This regulation is directed mainly at the chemical industry (our suppliers) but as a downstream user company, we will have to describe our uses and demonstrate that they are all controlled according to the specific conditions established for their exposure scenarios. As only registered substances can be used, we will have to reinforce the control of any substance in our supply chain.

Thanks to our site chemical committees, we have already prepared the sites for this new step in managing chemical substances.

(*) Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, toxic for Reproduction
(**) Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic substances
(***) Very Persistents Very Bioaccumulative