Chartered received certification for its Fabs 1, 2 and 3 located in Singapore. Silicon Manufacturing Partners (SMP), the joint-venture wafer fabrication facility owned by Lucent Technologies and Chartered, has been certified under Lucent's worldwide umbrella certification. SMP is located on the Woodlands Industrial Park campus next to Chartered's Fabs 2 and 3.

The Chartered environmental management system implemented under ISO-14001 guidelines targets four areas for continuous improvement: energy, waste, water and raw materials. Chartered’s goal is to reduce energy and water usage; reduce waste by recycling materials, such as paper, by up to 70 percent; and to recycle and reuse raw materials such as silicon wafers used to create test chips.

Chartered has already realized significant financial benefits of the ISO-14001 environ-mental management system. In the past six months alone, the company's cost savings have amounted to nearly US $1.2 million by using reclaimed test wafers, recycling materials, and conserving water.

Chartered's certification culminates more than eighteen months of planning, training and development. Led by a core team of 100 company participants, Chartered has successfully defined and implemented an environmental management system that clearly identifies environ-mental objectives and the activities required to meet them on an ongoing basis.

Barry Waite, president and CEO of Chartered, said, "Sound environmental policies are a crucial competitive advantage in forming significant alliances with other global leaders. Our customers want to know that their suppliers are committed to wise utilization of resources and the greater good of the community. Winning international recognition for our efforts is a clear demonstration of our commitment to environmental protection."

Gordon Lindert, Chartered's vice president of facilities/environment, health and safety, added, "By integrating environmental issues into the business planning process, we gain the dual benefits of reducing operating costs while practicing good corporate stewardship of natural resources. The ISO-14001 certification provides a suite of procedures and systems against which we can measure our performance. Our compliance to this international standard sets guidelines for continuous improvement in the way we manage our environmental affairs to the benefit of our customers, employees, and our community."

Ted Polakowski, Lucent Microelectronics’ manager of environmental safety and assurance, commented, "We welcome Silicon Manufacturing Partners into our environmental management system. By taking this bold step, SMP has demonstrated its commitment to achieving superior environmental performance through continual improvement. Achieving certification is not an end but a beginning. We in Lucent's Microelectronics Group look forward to a value-added relationship in this vital part of our business."