AT&S sets new standards in the recycling of copper and chemicals

For World Recycling Day on March 18, the Austrian microelectronics manufacturer AT&S presents an interim report on its ongoing efforts to make its global production more sustainable and efficient. Self-developed improvements to the processing facilities in the plants have enabled the global recycling of 268 tons of copper, 170 kilograms of gold, 35 kilograms of palladium, 16 kilograms of silver, 284,000 liters of iron(III) chloride, 984,000 liters of hydrochloric acid, and 1.5 million m³ of water in the financial year 2024/25. This lowers the cost of purchasing these raw materials and significantly reduces energy consumption and the carbon footprint along the supply chain.

Leoben, March 17, 2025 – AT&S has been working for years to reduce the ecological footprint of its production sites worldwide with a comprehensive sustainability strategy and considerable investments. The technical upgrading of the wastewater and waste treatment plants at the sites is now bringing considerable success: in the financial year 2024/25 alone, 268 tons of copper, 170 kilograms of gold, 35 kilograms of palladium, 16 kilograms of silver, 284,000 liters of iron(III) chloride and 984,000 liters of hydrochloric acid have been recycled so far globally. This also reduces the amount of wastewater sludge, which would be expensive and time-consuming to dispose of. In addition to the recycling of metals, it is possible to recover up to 1.5 million m³ of water per year using water recycling plants. These figures will continue to rise in the coming years.

“As part of our comprehensive sustainability strategy, we are constantly analyzing where there is further potential for improvements in energy and raw material efficiency. With our outstanding engineers, we then independently develop tailor-made solutions, which we first test at individual sites and then roll out globally. The treatment plants for metals, chemicals and water that we enhance along these lines show that we are really on the right path here. In the coming years, our production will become even greener,” says Marina Hornasek-Metzl, VP Corporate ESG and Quality at AT&S.

84 tanker trucks and 6,700 kilometers of cable saved

By developing and using state-of-the-art recycling technology, AT&S is not only improving its own ecological footprint and cost accounting. If fewer raw materials have to be purchased through efficient reprocessing, CO₂ emissions and energy consumption for the production and transportation of resource purchases are also reduced. By reusing ferric chloride and hydrochloric acid alone, long delivery trips of 84 tankers full of chemicals with a capacity of 15,000 liters each could be avoided. The saved copper purchases would be sufficient to produce a 6,700 kilometer long cable with a cross section of 3 x 1.5 millimeters. AT&S thus achieves a positive sustainability effect along the entire supply chain and can play an active role in shaping a green, livable future worldwide.

AT & S Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik Aktiengesellschaft – Advanced Technologies & Solutions
AT&S is a leading global manufacturer of high-end IC substrates and printed circuit boards. AT&S industrializes leading-edge technologies for its core business segments Mobile Devices & Substrates, Automotive & Aerospace, Industrial and Medical and high-performance processors for VR and AI applications. AT&S has a global presence with production sites in Austria (Leoben, Fehring) and plants in India (Nanjangud) and China (Shanghai, Chongqing). A new high-end production site for IC substrates is currently being established in Malaysia (Kulim). In Leoben, a European competence center including series production for IC substrate technologies is being built. Both sites will start production in the financial year 2024/25. The company employs more than 13,000 people.

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