Water Resource Management

Leading the Way in Water Efficiency

Managing our water resources is a top priority at ASEH, and we aim to continuously improve and optimize the use of water resources efficiently. From establishing management objectives to assessing major areas of water usage, the adoption of ISO 46001 Water Efficiency Management Systems enables us to identify risks and opportunities, and develop water-saving measures, risk mitigation strategies and various action plans. As of 2024, a total of five manufacturing sites have been certified under the ISO 46001 Water Efficiency Management System. These sites include ASE Kaohsiung and ASE Chungli, as well as SPIL Dafeng, Zhongke, and Zhongke II facilities. Moving forward, we will continue to expand the implementation of the ISO 46001 standard to additional sites, reinforcing our commitment to sustainable water resource management.

Water Risk Management

Physical Risk Adaptation

For our manufacturing sites, we continuously monitor potential future water scarcity events through annual water risk scenario assessments. At the same time, the facilities will continue to implement various adaptation measures, such as increasing water recovery rates, establishing wastewater recycling systems, increasing reserve water capacity, or reducing reliance on groundwater sources, with a view to not only minimizing the impact of water scarcity in the future, but also bolstering resilience to wet and dry seasons across all ASEH facilities. ASEH has implemented enterprise risk management and Business Continuity Management (BCM) in 100% of its key production sites to ensure that both existing and new facilities can continue operations when faced with climate risks. In particular, under the global risks of rising temperatures and drought, a series of drills have been established in addition to the launch of BCM plans to implement ASEH's operational risk management. Furthermore, ASEH consistently invests in and expands green factory-related facilities, which include: accounting for heavy rainfall/flood potential during construction and installing infrastructure damage prevention mechanisms (including flood gates); laying highly permeable sidewalks around the premises; building water supply support systems for factory-adjacent areas; investing in biodiversity, and launching biodiversity restoration actions.

Water Supply Adaptation

Adaptation plans implemented in ASEH's water supply system in the past 5 years:

• Installed water storage facilities in ASEH factories

• Installed water support systems in factory-adjacent areas

• Improved the efficiency of the water recovery process

• Enhanced wastewater treatment capacity and recovery rate

• Installed a rainwater recovery system

Water Withdrawal and Reuse

ASEH adopts three water use strategies: reduce, reuse, and recycle. The main source of water-use is tap water. Total water withdrawals in 2024 amounted to 21.89 million tons, while water withdrawal increased by 2% compared to the previous year. The water use intensity per unit revenue (including rainwater) was affected by the revenue decrease to increase by 7% compared with the previous year, but reaching our goal of a 43% decrease compared to the baseline in 2015.

The wastewater reclamation recycling systems were established in ASE Kaohsiung, Chungli, Malaysia, and Singapore facilities to support wastewater treatment that meets local regulations. The wastewater reclamation recycling rate of ASE Kaohsiung is 76%, ASE Chungli is 70%, ASE Malaysia is 50%, and ASE Singapore is 25%. The robust recycling methodology at the facility in effluent discharge, and significantly alleviated the manufacturing sites’ pressure on water consumption and wastewater discharge.

Wastewater Management

In 2024, 15,871,374 tons of effluent was discharged, and our total water consumption was 6,014,921 tons. We conduct internal water quality tests, while also outsourcing offline sampling and water quality analysis to ensure strict control and ecology management of the aquatic environment. In addition, our effluent management adheres to local regulations and discharge water standards. A number of our facilities have set internal goals that are higher than regulatory requirements by consistently monitoring the effluent quality, and employing AI algorithms to optimize and increase the amount of recycled water and reduce water withdrawal. Currently, there are 15 facilities that collect and classify chemicals used in the manufacturing process, so that each type can be treated independently based on its effluent characteristics, and hence, improving the efficiency of our effluent treatment processes. In order to provide employees with clean water and proper sanitation across our operations, we have adopted the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) approach as well as established wastewater treatment facilities. We will continue to conduct regular health and environmental education to further enhance employees' awareness of water security.