Every day, GF teams run some of the most complex manufacturing environments in the world. That work takes energy, water and specialty materials. And it takes constant attention to how those resources are used.
At GF, sustainability is not separate from manufacturing. It is part of how we operate our manufacturing sites, how we make decisions and how we deliver reliable, high‑quality chips for customers who depend on us. The same discipline that drives yield, quality and uptime also drives how we reduce emissions, conserve water and design waste out of our processes.
Earth Week is a moment to step back and share that progress. In 2025, GF teams delivered measurable results across four priority areas: greenhouse gas reductions, energy efficiency, water stewardship, and waste and chemical reduction. These outcomes reflect years of steady improvement across our global manufacturing footprint, driven by engineers, operators and facilities teams working together at every site.
Raising the bar on greenhouse gas reductions
GF recently accelerated its Journey to Zero Carbon commitment, raising our target to a 42% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between 2021 and 2030, up from our previous 25% goal. This more ambitious near-term target supports our commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and reflects our belief that climate progress and business growth can move forward together.
The biggest sources of emissions include electricity consumption and fluorinated greenhouse gases used in etching and deposition. GF is tackling each one through a mix of advanced abatement systems, lower-impact cooling fluids and the utilization of lower carbon energy.
The progress is measurable and continuing. In 2025, projects across our sites contributed to an estimated annual reduction of approximately 105,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent. To put that in perspective, it is roughly equal to removing 23,000 passenger vehicles from the road for a full year. Today, manufacturing a semiconductor at GF generates about 24% less greenhouse gas emissions per production unit than it did just a few years ago.
One example comes from GF’s Singapore site, where teams are rolling out a new, centralized approach to treating manufacturing exhaust. Instead of handling emissions tool by tool, this system brings exhaust from multiple tools together and treats it through a multi‑stage process. The result is more effective destruction of fluorinated greenhouse gases, while using less space and less electricity than traditional setups.
At our Malta site, a cross-functional team took a similar long‑term approach by upgrading chiller systems to use lower‑impact heat‑transfer fluids. That multi‑year effort reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 11,000 metric tons of CO₂e, while maintaining the performance and reliability required for advanced manufacturing.
Saving energy at scale
In 2025, GF saved approximately 76 million kWh of electricity annually through sustainability and efficiency initiatives. That is enough to power roughly 7,000 average U.S. homes for an entire year and translates to about 25,000 metric tons of CO2e. Electricity use per production unit is now 24% lower than our 2020 baseline.
Electricity is one of the largest operating costs in the semiconductor industry. Cleanrooms, process tools, chillers, vacuum systems and ultrapure water infrastructure all drive sustained demand around the clock. Every kilowatt-hour avoided through smarter design and optimized controls directly reduces both costs and the emissions tied to electricity generation.
When GF teams make improvements, even small changes can have a meaningful impact. At our Malta, NY site, teams updated how large facility equipment runs so it uses electricity more efficiently, reducing power use by approximately 18 million kWh per year. At our Dresden site, solar panels installed across several buildings now generate 6–7 GWh of clean electricity each year, avoiding roughly 2,000 metric tons of CO₂e annually.
Protecting every drop
Water plays an important role in making semiconductors. It’s used to keep wafers clean throughout manufacturing, to cool equipment and to support operations that run continuously, day and night. As demand for semiconductors grows, using water responsibly becomes even more important.
At GF, we focus on reducing water use wherever possible. That includes reusing water within our facilities, recovering water from manufacturing steps, and improving processes so only the water that’s truly needed is used. Today, more than 40% of the water GF uses comes from recycled or reused sources, and overall water use per production unit is 22% lower than our 2020 baseline.
Designing waste out of the process
Semiconductor manufacturing relies on specialty chemicals to keep processes precise and clean. Because these materials are used frequently and in large volumes, reducing waste is an important part of responsible manufacturing. At GF, that work starts at the process level by improving how tools and recipes are designed and run.
In 2025, these efforts resulted in a 27% reduction in total waste generation per production unit and a 33% reduction in hazardous waste generation per production unit compared to 2020. Teams achieved these results by refining cleaning steps, extending how long chemicals can be used safely and effectively and eliminating unnecessary consumption — all while maintaining the quality and reliability required for advanced manufacturing. Together, these improvements avoided the use of hundreds of thousands of liters of chemicals each year, showing how thoughtful process design can significantly reduce material use and waste without compromising product quality.
Progress built on teamwork
Progress like this is built over time, through many practical decisions and steady improvements across complex manufacturing operations. It reflects how GF approaches its work every day.
A deeper look at GF’s sustainability priorities and performance will be shared in our upcoming 2026 Sustainability Report.
John Compani is a Senior Member of Technical Staff with GF’s Corporate EHS & Sustainability Team. He is based in Malta, New York, with focus on GF’s Environmental Performance, Resource Conservation and Sustainability efforts.