Spansion is a provider of NOR Flash memory and had started a multi-year water conservation project beginning in 2001. The award recognises the efforts of individuals and groups that are making significant contributions to the protection and enhancement of the city’s environment. “Part of being a responsible corporate citizen is respecting the environment,” said Randy Blair, vice-president of Spansion’s Wafer Fab 25 Operations in Austin. “Our multi-year water conservation project reduced our water usage by 60% and saves the equivalent of 7,150 soda cans full of water per minute.” Since Spansion uses less water, Austin Water Utility requires a smaller amount of electricity to produce more clean water. Consequently, ground-level ozone and other ground-level pollution are reduced. “We are elated to see our customer win the Austin Environmental Awareness Award and Spansion illustrates how good corporate citizenship resonates across the community,” said Ian Barbour, general manager, Dow Water & Process Solutions. “This award also reinforces how clean water and energy are intimately intertwined and showcases how Dow products and technologies enable our customers to increase efficiency across their operations.” The company installed an integrated DOW Ultrafiltration module and FILMTEC reverse osmosis membrane system to treat more than 400 gallons per minute (gpm) of their fabrication wastewater.
