Sustainability

We’re driving towards a more sustainable future, transforming the way our products impact the planet with the aim of creating less waste and conserving resources. We try not only to reduce our own environmental footprint, but also that of our customers. 

Collaborating to develop more sustainable technology

Our involvement in governing industry consortia drives joint sustainability initiatives, contributing to global sustainability goals. We collaborate with university groups, customers, and suppliers on research projects to further our sustainability efforts.

Making conscious choices 

We prioritize eco-efficient engineering, designs, processes, and solutions to enhance energy efficiency and reduce emissions per wafer, continuously tracking our improvements. We are advancing our thermally driven products, like epitaxy and vertical furnace, to achieve a 35% reduction in thermal energy per wafer by 2035. Simultaneously, we are enhancing our plasma-driven technologies, such as PECVD and PEALD, to cut radio frequency energy per wafer by 20% within the same timeframe.

Additionally, we opt for eco-efficient chemicals and optimize processes wherever possible, aiming for a 90% absolute reduction in NF3 use in key cleaning processes, by replacing it with alternative gases like F2 and HF and a 35% reduction of precursor consumption per wafer for key ALD processes, by 2035.

Contributing to a circular economy

We quantify the impacts of our operations for continuous improvement of our products and services. We continue to invest in more sustainable R&D facilities, enhance the eco-efficiency of our products, and conduct ongoing research into innovative materials. 

> Read more about our approach to sustainable innovation and Ecodesign

At ASM we’re pioneers of progress, discovering tomorrow’s solutions, today.  What we value and the way we behave aren’t just words; they drive our momentum and fuel collaboration. We stay ahead of the game by embracing challenges and delivering results with impact. We hire and develop the best, with our resources and programs designed to empower and ensure that everyone contributes at the highest level. 

Our safety leadership culture

At ASM we are focused on realizing Zero Harm and have a robust safety management system in place to prevent accidents from happening. We aim to foster and maintain a safety culture that is both proactive and participatory. Our 7Es of safety leadership – Engage, Expect, Exemplify, Educate, Empower, Eliminate, Evaluate – continue to guide our efforts. We honor colleagues who make significant contributions to safety with our safety leadership award and lead engagements to enhance industry safety standards and through our involvement in SESHA and SEMI working groups, we strive to make the industry safer and reduce risks for all stakeholders. By 2030, we aim to achieve a recordable injury rate of 0.15, representing a 38% reduction from our 2024 baseline result of 0.24.

> Read more about our safety leadership culture

Inclusion, diversity and belonging 

Teams are built on excellence, with relentless drive and refusal to compromise. We thrive with a unified vision of success pushing the boundaries of innovation. By strengthening global mentoring opportunities and scholarship collaborations like the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA), expanding our leadership development curricula, ensuring pay equity, and supporting employee resource groups such as the Women’s Initiative Network and the Sustainability Ambassador’s Network, we foster an inclusive, challenging and supportive workplace culture. 

> Read more about inclusion, diversity and belonging at ASM

Driving meaningful change

We strive to achieve positive social impact in the global communities where we operate. Across the globe, we support STEM and local community projects, our efforts are united in a global framework and implemented in partnership with local stakeholders to help create an enduring positive impact through our industry associations and collaborations with academia, schools, and NGOs. We aim to be a force for good in our communities, industry, and society, enriching the lives of those we engage with – inside and outside of ASM. Through our UN Global Compact Board membership, we are advancing their key principles, including human rights and labor standards. 

> Read more about our community relations

On a journey towards a greener and more sustainable world, we are committed to being responsible stewards of our planet and its resources, working towards our net-zero target and broader environmental goals, alongside our customers, industry partners and suppliers. 

Aiming for net-zero by 2035

We demonstrate ongoing progress toward our goal of net-zero emissions by 2035, in line with our SBTi reduction pathways. We also continue to source 100% of our electricity needs through renewable sources—a target we achieved in 2024, as evidenced by high-quality certificates. This commitment enables our continued capacity growth while maintaining our membership in RE100, a global corporate renewable energy initiative. 

Unlocking circularity in our products and operations

We minimize reliance on single-use materials and refurbish and reuse durable parts to minimize material waste through our Preventative Maintenance program. Furthermore, we’re working with suppliers to cut packaging and plastic waste by reusing our product delivery crates.

> Read more about our Climate Transition Plan

We set high sustainability standards and expectations for ourselves and others across our value chain. At every step, we ensure that we source responsibly, act ethically, and integrate sustainability in sourcing decisions.

Social sustainability

We continue to integrate social sustainability criteria into our procurement supplier selection and development, including setting a minimum standard for suppliers to stay in our sourcing plans and driving our net-zero 2035 vision into our supply chain. Thereby showing our ambition to enhance safe working conditions and practices as defined by our Supplier Code of Conduct and our Human Rights policy.

Ethical and sustainable practices

At ASM, we aim to create collective impact for our industry by modeling ethical and sustainable practices. We continue our sponsorship of Catalyze; an industry-wide initiative focused on accelerating the adoption of renewable electricity into the supply chain. We also support the goals of the Semiconductor Climate Consortium (SCC), a global initiative uniting semiconductor companies to accelerate climate action and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain, of which we are founding members. As a full member of the Responsible Business Alliance, we hold ourselves and our suppliers to the standards outlined in their Code of Conduct. We continue to invest in direct engagement initiatives, such as SCORE (Supplier Collaboration on Reducing Emissions), which we consider essential to decarbonize our value chain and drive more sustainable outcomes. Every year, we recognize sustainable contributions or achievements in our supply chain with ASM’s PRISM award. 

Responsible material sourcing

Partnering with our suppliers, we aim to source tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold (3TG), cobalt, mica and other minerals responsibly, in alignment with our Responsible Minerals policy. We aim to increase the number of suppliers who are doing appropriate due diligence in sourcing of wood and other materials as well.

> Read more about our efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in our supply chain

We’re committed to measuring, monitoring, and reporting our sustainability activities. We diligently communicate our progress towards clear targets and have groups and individuals dedicated to openly sharing our actions and impact. 

Measuring for success

> Read more about our corporate governance principles