Sustainable Raw Materials

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Home Innovation Pursuing the Highest Quality Sustainable Raw Materials
Sustainable Raw Materials

Sustainable Raw Materials

Sustainable Materials

Global resources are finite. As technology advances, human activity inevitably places increasing pressure on ecosystems and societies. At Wistron, the manufacturing of our products relies on a variety of raw materials. Only by committing to the use of sustainable materials will we be able to reduce environmental and social impact. As such, we have established a Sustainable Materials Policy, set corresponding goals, and launched related programs. In line with this policy, we assess the environmental and social impacts of our R&D, procurement, production, operations, and services, prioritizing the use of primary or secondary raw materials with the least negative impact.
 

Wistron's Definition of Sustainable Materials:

  • Compliant Hazardous Substance Management Regulations
  • Free from conflict minerals
  • Made from recycled or renewable sources
  • Sourced outside of ecologically protected areas
  • Support environmental conservation and avoid human rights violations



Raw Materials Programs

Wistron'a product range is diverse, and different product categories require different key materials. Among them, the most commonly used include plastics, aluminum, and steel in the chassis of notebook computers, desktop computers, monitors, and servers, as well as copper used in cooling components and PCBs. We prioritize the integration of sustainable materials into these high-volume material categories.
 
Raw Material Total Usage(ton) Recycle Material Use Ratio(%)
Plastic 14,546.25 44.30
Aluminum 865.98 9.60
Steel/Iron 14,818.27 7.15
Copper 437.88 1.48
Cobalt 19.36 0
Nickel 20.74 0
Lithium 0.56 0
Titanium 0.03 0
  • Note: Due to data collection limitations, the reported usage volumes of nickel, lithium, and titanium are based on components for which Wistron has completed full material disclosure (FMD). Starting in 2024, the scope of material surveys for plastics, aluminum, steel/iron, copper, and cobalt has expanded from previously covering only commercial notebook computers and servers to now encompassing all Wistron product categories



Reducing the Negative Environmental and Social Impacts of Raw Materials

To minimize the negative environmental and social impacts from raw material usage, Wistron is committed to integrating sustainability factors into procurement management. With reference to the ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement Guidance, we have formulated a Sustainable Procurement Policy that incorporates sustainable materials. Through our Supplier Code of Conduct, we also require our supply chain partners to identify the environmental impacts associated with their own and upstream manufacturing processes, and to minimize any adverse effects on communities, the environment, and natural resources, while protecting public health and safety. Wistron assesses supplier sustainability from the following sustainability issues and impacts:
  • Environmental: Including climate change mitigation and adaptation, carbon and energy management, water resource management, and hazardous substances and waste control. We strive to prevent pollution throughout the extraction and processing stages of materials and to protect biodiversity and restore natural habitats.
  • Social: Including human rights and labor protection guidelines and occupational health and safety management.
  • Governance: Including supplier risk management and sustainable practices in upstream supply chains, such as business ethics and conflict minerals compliance.



Establishing Traceability and Certification of Sustainable Materials

Since 2022, Wistron has gradually developed a traceability and certification system for materials, taking stock of sustainable materials each year to learn more about our own use of sustainable materials. For some post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, we trace back to the raw material suppliers. For metals, we trace back to the smelter. We then obtain certification from suppliers on the material's percentage of recycled materials, including ISO 14021 (recycled material percentage verification), EN 15343 (recycled plastics percentage verification), or SCS Global Services' Recycled Content Certification Standard. The help of third-party verification ensures the reliability and traceability of sustainable material across our supply chain.



Sustainable Materials Targets and Cooperation

To reduce the use of raw materials on our environment, we are committed to increasing the percentage of recycled materials in our products. In our product design stage, the greatest challenge confronting our R&D team is ensuring product function and a quality exterior. As such, we collaborated with our PCR plastic subsidiary - Wistron Advanced Materials - to analyze the properties of PCR plastics and develop design standards, gradually introducing PCR plastics into selected products.
We established and publicly disclosed short-, medium-, and long-term targets and progress to target, weight percentage of products using PCR materials of selected products, and percentage of products made with PCR plastics by year. In addition to plastics, the Wistron R&D team also collaborates with metal casting raw material factories to batch verify materials and use the same parameters to compare differences between properties of metals using various percentages of recycled materials. To ensure the quality of volume production, we have set acceptance standards for incoming materials and applied these experiences to various production lines.
From green sustainable materials design and verification, we have gained valuable experiences that now comprise an invaluable Wistron database on innovative materials. This continues to drive sustainable development and is an important R&D asset to Wistron in the field of product design, quality, and material management.
2024 Actions 2024
Targets		 2024
Results		 Status 2025 Actions 2025
Targets		 2030
Targets		 2035
Targets
Developing next-generation low-carbon NB products with increased proportions of sustainable materials PCR > 37% 37.18%
Recycled or renewable materials used in selected green product development PCR > 40% PCR > 50% PCR > 55%
  •   Note: The target rate (%) is defined as the weight of PCR materials used/total product weight  



Sustainable Materials Training

To ensure colleagues responsible for sustainable materials are equipped with relevant knowledge and understanding, we have gradually developed and launched related courses. Currently available courses include:
  • Sustainable Materials Management, Operations, Planning & Design: This course provides an overview of global landscapes, the development of circular economy, sustainable materials management, and material flow analysis, as well as real case studies on recycling and reuse.
  • Recycling 101: This course gives an overview of PCR materials and their development as well as the recycling process and basic information on electronic waste disposal.
  • PCR Materials Certification 101: This course provides information on PCR materials, including the pros and cons of PCR materials, safety of electronic products, UL Yellow Card, and relevant flame-retardancy testing standards.