In the past, we placed each product accessory to be delivered to the customer in a separate plastic container and then packaged each of the containers. In an effort to conserve materials, we now place the plastic containers on a rack, package the entire rack, and deliver it to the customer. As a result, we have reduced the use of packaging materials by half, and the use of buffer materials to one-tenth of the previous amount. We were also able to shorten loading times at shipment. In addition, the space that the customer needed for storing the cargo was reduced and it has become easier for the customer to keep track of the cargo.
Furthermore, we now remove the casters attached to the body of an etch system for delivery and reuse them for subsequent deliveries.

At TELAT's Yamanashi site, materials discarded as defective property and waste materials are gathered prior to waste processing so that employees can see the actual materials. The objective is to foster an awareness among personnel about the causes of waste materials and teach them measures to help reduce them. More than 100 employees attended the initial exhibit, which encouraged employees to ask the question "Why?" Seeing the actual materials first-hand substantially raised awareness and encouraged employees to address the causes of the problem. These types of activities will be continued in the future with the intention of achieving a balance between environmental preservation and business operations.

As part of ongoing measures to help protect the environment, Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) is promoting the reduction of hazardous substances contained in its products, while also utilizing a special database to manage the chemical substances present in the units and parts of its products.The widely-known EU's RoHS Directive* is a set of measures created to restrict the use of hazardous substances. Although TEL concludes based on SEMI interpretation that emiconductor/FPD production equipment is exempt from the current scope of the EU RoHS Directive, TEL uses thise directive as a point of reference for its own efforts to reduce the hazardous substances listed. Of course, TEL also complies with the Chinese RoHS that has already been implemented.TEL defines "reduced hazardous substance equipment" as products that are made up of 98.5% or more of parts that meet the criteria stipulated by the RoHS Directive. The shipments of these products began on October 1, 2008, and plans call for the volume of equipment shipped to gradually increase. TEL's goal is to continue to be a green company by promoting the development and manufacture of products that are more environmentally responsible.

• * The EU's RoHS Directive This refers to the directive (2002/95/EC) and its amendments regarding restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The directive bans the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB and PBDE that exceed the maximum permitted quantity in products, except for certain cases where it is not applicable.