US-AEP�s Environmental Exchange Program and Clean Technology and Environmental Management (CTEM) program conducted a U.S. study tour on "Clean Technology for Pollution Prevention (P2) and Water Recycling in the Semiconductor Industry," November 29 to December 11. Reflecting CTEM�s strategic focus on Asia�s electronics industry, the tour involved 16 environmental health and safety managers from electronics companies in Hong Kong, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Taiwan. Tour objectives were to transfer environmental technologies and build U.S.-Asia relationships to facilitate environmental management initiatives, such as "greening the supply chain."

The participants examined technologies in use at the facilities of U.S. environmental performance leaders such as Intel, Siliconix, and Motorola. In addition, visits to top U.S. technology vendors--including Applied Materials, U.S. Filter, Hydromatix , ADP Marshall, and Environmental and Occupational Risk Management--provided an overview of emerging pollution prevention and risk reduction technologies. Government agencies and community groups were also involved: Santa Clara County, California, Arizona Department of Commerce, and Arizona Environmental Technologies Industries Cluster.

Meetings with Hewlett Packard, Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, and Business for Social Responsibility exposed participants to initiatives such as voluntary business standards and corporate environmental stewardship. And, as part of a global outreach effort to reduce the semiconductor industry�s environmental impact, U.S. organizations such as the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), the Semiconductor Safety Association (SSA), and Sematech hosted sessions and site visits.