TAIFLEX Scientific Co., Ltd

Waste reduction initiatives and circular economy

Source reduction

Taiflex is committed to zero waste. Besides promoting the concept of resource conservation to employees during daily operation, Taiflex focuses on process enhancement for source reduction. As we reduce the consumption of resources and materials, we also minimize the pollutants generated. For air pollution, wastewater, and solid waste which we cannot eliminate completely at present, we establish pollution control facilities or engage qualified professional companies to handle the matters. We strive to reduce the environmental impact of our operations and seek the best solution in order to gradually achieve the ultimate goal of zero pollution.

Process material recovery

In 2023, we recycled 353 MT of NMP, a 15.33% increase compared to the 306.07 MT recycled in 2022. However, as the new processes have stricter raw materials requirements, much of the recycled NMP is now outsourced for reuse. Taiflex will invest funds by 2025 to implement purification system improvements, aiming at enhancing the recycling rate in the production line.

Material recovery over the years

We insist on controlling the use of raw materials with the most optimal and feasible approaches, aiming to achieve a balance between environmental protection and economy with minimal waste and production costs. To reduce the heterogeneity of process scraps and improve the efficiency of waste recycling, the Manufacturing Center has developed in-house film removers in 2023 to peel off the release paper from the scrap cover-layers (PI film + adhesive + release paper). It is estimated that 50,000~70,000kg of release paper can be separately collected annually and recycled as papers. The remaining scraps (PI film+ adhesive) can then be further processed into solid recovered fuel (SRF), aligning with the government’s promotion of the eco-concept - “waste to energy.”

Waste treatment

Synthesis and coating are the key processes of Taiflex. The production of FCCL generates hazardous solvent waste, which is harmful to the environment if not properly handled. Thus, it is collected in 53-gallon steel drums by the synthesis, front-end and back-end departments, and then purified for reuse through the recovery facilities to effectively reduce the outsourced volume and the associated treatment costs as well as realize circular economy (please refer to 4.3.1 Source reduction for details).

In addition to the reuse of NMP and MEK within the factories, we have started on-site adhesive washing due to the adoption of zero-waste policy in 2023. All other waste is treated off-site. Please refer to Appendix I ESG Information - Environmental Data of this report for detailed statistics.

Waste