Applied Materials, Inc. announced today that it received a prestigious 2007 Business Environmental Award from Acterra, a Bay Area organization, for demonstrating environmental leadership. Applied Materials won the ‘Susanne Wilson Award for Pollution Prevention/Resources Conservation: Special Project’ for its energy efficient semiconductor equipment design program. The award is given to companies that improve operation or production processes to reduce the consumption of resources (water, materials, and energy) and minimize the generation of pollutants.
“We are honored to be recognized for our energy efficient product design program,” said Mike Splinter, president and CEO of Applied Materials. “Our greatest potential for improving the way people live is through our products and services. Today, we are designing products not only to maximize their functionality, but also to conserve natural resources and, in the case of solar, to generate clean energy.”
Applied Materials incorporates the following elements into its product design program: development processes that consider the environmental impact of the company’s products and establish energy reduction goals; validation control which documents the performance of products against established goals; internal training with a focus on reducing operating energy costs and designing for energy efficiency; outreach to customers and other equipment suppliers to develop industry guidelines for measuring and reporting energy consumption; and joint efforts with key suppliers to improve the efficiency of components.
More than 25 regional environmental and sustainability experts judged over 50 competitors showcasing their environmental innovations for the award in six categories including: sustainability; sustainable built environment; environmental and sustainability education; environmental enterprise; commute and transportation; and pollution prevention/resource conservation.
Since 1990, Acterra’s Business Environmental Awards program has recognized Bay Area businesses, governments, and academic and nonprofit organizations for excellence in environmental leadership. Winners are companies that have made improvements in their operations to significantly reduce environmental impact, thereby benefiting all Bay Area residents.