Keeping a close eye on our environmental impact

At Soitec, we have implemented processes to continuously measure and monitor the impacts of our business on air and water quality, biodiversity, and waste production. As required by our environmental management system and current regulations, we have implemented an annual performance-improvement program and regularly inform the relevant authorities of our environmental results.

Guarding against pollution

At Bernin, our largest site, 100% of the gaseous effluents generated by our manufacturing processes are cleaned before they are released into the atmosphere. Liquid chemical waste is either neutralized on site to within legal thresholds prior to release into the natural environment, or it is collected in drums and disposed of at certified treatment centers. We recycle 85% of our waste; the remaining 15% is sent to certified waste treatment centers.

We go to great lengths to minimize the risk of accidental soil contamination. We have a leak-proof loading dock, use spill pallets under our storage drums, have installed double-walled pipes with leak detection systems, and recover used fire fighting water in a special pond.

Creating a natural habitat at our Grenoble campus

We take active measures to protect biodiversity. One example is our project to rehabilitate a former storm water collection pond built during the original construction of our Bernin campus. Over the years, indigenous plant and animal species have gradually reappeared in and around the pond. Our goal is to help the pond return to a natural state. The flora and fauna present on site will be inventoried, and then students from a local horticultural high school will introduce new plant species in order to further diversify the biotope.