Values of Sustainability
Values of Sustainability
ESG Governance Bodies
The Chairman of the Board has been appointed to chair the ESG Committee and coordinate on Everlight’s sustainable development goals and strategies. Through ESG governance, we hope to gradually achieve our vision of “becoming a high-tech chemical group that helps advance the well-being of mankind.”
Organization and Responsibilities of the ESG Committee
Overview of Our Sustainability Accomplishments in 2021
Green Chemistry
Where We Started with Green Chemistry
∎ Everlight Chemical is the first chemical company in Taiwan to obtain the ISO 14001 certification for environmental management systems (1996)
∎ Following green chemistry principles, we have developed green manufacturing processes and environment- and health-friendly products to deliver greater economic benefits. We have also adopted circular economy practices to further recycle and reuse resources.
Our Green Chemistry Accomplishments
∎ Everlight has been promoting green chemistry practices over the years. All our production sites have been devoted to putting the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry into practice and have seen great results.
∎ We received the Green Chemistry Application and Innovation Award from EPA Taiwan in 2019 and 2021 and the Circular Economy Achievement Award from TCIA in 2021.
∎ Starting from 2020, we have established the Everlight Award for Green Chemistry Research to encourage academic research in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering, which can benefit the sustainable development of the chemical industry.
What is Green Chemistry?
The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry were proposed by John C. Warner ( known as the father of green chemistry) and Paul Anastas in 1998. The principles call for avoiding the generation of substances that are harmful for human health or the environment.
John C. Warner further notes that green chemistry is about the design of manufacturing processes itself, where chemists should seek to use safe and environmentally-friendly materials and design processes that minimize energy input and waste generation and maximize yield.
Since 2005, we have adopted the concept of atom economy, a metric proposed by experts from the international chemistry community, to review our production processes, from starting materials to end products, so as to reduce waste, lower pollution or environmental impact and maximize resource utilization. We apply the green chemistry principles and set atom efficiency targets for all aspects of our operations, including material selection, product design, manufacturing and material processing & recycling. We also work with suppliers and clients to improve resource utilization and circularity, by focusing on four key practices: recycling, modification for reuse, purification of byproducts for sell-back and repurposing waste.
【 Source: Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau, Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan 】
The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry provide
guidance for professionals in the chemical industry to tackle challenges faced across the sector, such as excessive resource consumption, pollution and health hazards. we need to guide chemists in the industry
Green chemistry advocates for avoiding the use of hazardous or toxic substances, that is, avoiding pollution in the first place. Green chemistry concepts focus on the production process. It is about designing processes to reduce resource consumption, improve atom economy and minimize unnecessary derivatives and waste.
What is Atom Economy?
Atom economy, also known as atom efficiency, refers to the percentage of reactants that get converted into desired products in a manufacturing process. The formula for atom economy is: [Mass of atoms in desired products/Mass of atoms in reactants] X 100%
How We Implement Green Chemistry Practices？
Key green chemistry measures implemented at production sites:
- Improve atom efficiency: atom efficiency (59.5%) has been listed as a performance indicator starting from 2016; overall atom efficiency reached 67% in 2021, which helped reduce over 6,300 tons of reactant inputs
- Reduce waste, pollution and emissions from production processes: we have introduced new wastewater treatment technologies to reduce sludge and chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels and remove ammoniacal nitrogen and chromaticity. We have also implemented measures for water recovery and recycling of processed wastewater
- Recycle and reuse waste (waste recycling rate has reached 69%)
Implementing Green Chemistry Practices with Suppliers and Clients (Circular Economy):
(1) External Collaborations (Suppliers):
- Partner with suppliers to reuse packaging materials for raw materials
- Return activated carbon filter materials to suppliers for regeneration and reuse
- Covert dilute phosphoric acid from manufacturing processes into phosphates and sell back to phosphoric acid suppliers for reuse
(2) External Collaborations (Clients):
- Partner with clients to recycle and reuse product packaging materials
- Convert process waste into useful resources for clients in other industries
Success Stories
1. Process improvement for Evercion Blue P-N3G
Adjusting conditions for related reaction processes helped improve atom efficiency, reducing the ammoniacal nitrogen in the effluent and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations.
2. Everlight Plant I: reducing hardness of wastewater and sludge volume
We re-evaluated existing production processes at the sites and made science-based adjustments without compromising quality or efficiency. Changes implemented helped reduce acid and base inputs significantly, improve atom efficiency and reduce sludge volume by 14%, saving us NT$200,000 in sludge treatment expenses each month.
3. Everlight Plant II: developing digital textile printing inks
Everlight Chemical has developed and launched digital textile printing (DTP) ink products, which help reduce environmental burden and carbon emissions on customers’ end. So far, these products have created the following benefits for our customers: reducing carbon emissions by 95%, printing paste consumption by 97%, water consumption by 62%, use of consumables by 85%, energy consumption by 57%, etc.
4. Everlight Plant III: building circularity into the supply chain
Everlight Plant III, which mainly manufactures specialty chemicals, has adopted the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry to identify areas of improvement in the plant’s processes, from procurement, manufacturing to delivery of finished products. The plant also actively collaborates with upstream suppliers and regeneration service providers to move towards the goal of zero waste. As illustrated below, the annual waste reduction and financial benefits have been impressive.
5. Everlight Plant IV: implementing an advanced ozone catalytic oxidation (OZCO) system
To implement the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, Everlight Plant IV has introduced an advanced OZCO system to treat wastewater with high chromaticity, which has effectively improved the COD utilization rate (from 0.3 to 0.8) and energy efficiency.
At Everlight Chemical, we strive to put green chemistry concepts into practice to advance both business and sustainable development. By doing so, we hope to contribute to the healthy and happy life of our customers.
As noted by the father of green chemistry, John Warner, green chemical products should incorporate zero-toxicity, sustainability, cost competitiveness and outstanding product performance. All of these characteristics are indispensable.
On top of years of efforts in green chemistry, in 2022, Everlight further launched two major projects: Blueprint for Evaluation & Development of Sustainable Products and Carbon Inventory & Carbon Reduction Pathway. The projects aim to help evaluate where the Company stands and devise practical long-term plans to guide us in implementing measures such as combining the use of innovative chemical technologies and advanced production equipment and to drive further success in the near future.
Our philosophy is that green chemistry should be more than just a vision, but something everyone in the chemical industry can implement in their day-to-day operations.
Sustainable Products
Everlight Chemical values improvement and innovation. Applying green chemistry principles and with atom economy as a key metric, we strive to develop/manufacture safer chemicals and eco-friendly products to mitigate and eliminate the environmental impact of hazardous substances.
Starting from 2021, in response to market trends in low carbon transition, we have raised the bar for our products. Referencing the SASB Standard for the Chemical industry (Topic 8: Product Design for Use-phase Efficiency) and practices of leading international companies, we have defined seven key criteria for our sustainable products, which serve as an important frame of reference for internal and external communication.
Criteria for Sustainable Products
We are committed to making sustainable products and implementing chemical safety management to drive resource efficiency and low carbon transition.
We are committed to the following goals:
1. Ensure all chemicals used in textile, leather and footwear products are 100% compliant to the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (ZDHC MRSL)
2. Ensure that chemicals used in other industry verticals continue to comply with international standards (e.g. REACH SVHC, RoHS Directive, etc.)
3. Raise chemical safety awareness among our supply chain partners
4. Provide sustainable products and contribute to environmental sustainability
We actively develop products with greater use-phase efficiency (UPE) to create value to share with our customers.
The revenue generated by our sustainable products accounted for 53.6% and 54.7% of our operating revenue in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Looking ahead, we aim to bring the percentage up to 58% in 2023.
Progress on Sustainable Products in 2021
Developing Products that Offer Ecological Benefits
R&D expenses in 2020: NT$370 million
(4.8 % of our operating revenue)
106 product development projects completed in 2020
R&D expenses in 2021: NT$390 million
(4.3 % of our operating revenue)
67 product development projects completed in 2021
Chemical Safety Management
Implementing effective chemical safety management and demonstrating product stewardship
Our Commitments
Zero use of conflict minerals
100%不使用衝突礦產原料。
Work towards 100% compliance rate with international standards and industry requirements for all products
朝「產品100%符合各項國際規範及產業要求」之目標邁進。
Work with supply chain partners to achieve a future of zero discharge of hazardous chemicals
與供應鏈夥伴共同實踐「有害化學物質零排放」願景與目標。
1. Product Health Index: number/percentage of third-party certified products (as of December 2021)
Applicable to all products:
RoHS Directive: 100% / WEEE Directive: 100% / SVHC: 99%
Applicable to textile, leather and dyestuff products:
ZDHC MRSL: >99% / REACH Annex XVII: 100% / Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX: >98%
Number of products certified by third-party organizations or brand owners (as of December 2021):
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): 206;
The Bluesign® label: 424
Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC): 777
2. Compliant Product Labeling & Hazard Communication:
Total number of product safety and registration certificate applications in 2021: 1,313 (vs 1,214 applications in 2020 and 1,374 applications in 2019)
3. Integrating the GreenScreen® List Translator (GSLT):
To better understand the inherent hazards and safety of each chemical substance, Everlight Chemical introduced the GreenScreen® List Translator (GSLT) in 2021. This makes us the first company in Taiwan to adopt the tool. Twenty employees received training on GSLT in 2021, and we completed building profiles for 96 chemical raw materials and 17 products, documenting their sequencing and hazard information.
We plan to expand the GSLT practice for greater understanding of the health and environmental impact of our raw materials and products, which will help us develop subsequent measures and shift to safer chemicals.