July 26, 2005
Partner Ann Grimaldi spoke recently at SEMICON West, the chip equipment industry's largest trade show of the year, attracting tens of thousands of industry representatives to San Francisco from around the world. The program, entitled "International EHS Regulations Update," was sponsored by the International Compliance and Regulatory Committee (ICRC) of SEMI. SEMI is a trade organization which represents suppliers to the semiconductor industry. Its purpose is to strengthen the financial, market, and technology performance of SEMI member companies through initiatives that promote membership needs, such as lobbying, education, and market statistics. ICRC is a volunteer group of SEMI members and customers whose mission is to advance a safer and more environmentally benign semiconductor industry. The committee identifies industry needs, shares information, and creates tools to assist the industry in attaining Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) and other regulatory objectives.
Ann's keynote address, entitled Better Safe Than Sorry: Regulatory Efforts to "Green" The Supply Chain and What It Means to SEMI Member Companies, provided an overview of recent regulatory developments in the European Union, Asia and the United States. As Ann pointed out, these developments differ substantially from previous environmental regulatory efforts, particularly as the "better safe than sorry" philosophy, embodied in the precautionary principle, continues to emerge as the guidepost for environmental health and safety regulations. As a result, suppliers to the chip manufacturing industry must approach regulatory compliance from the perspectives of not only technical engineering, but also management input and even corporate culture. Ann addressed an audience of about 100 people, representing a wide cross-section of chip manufacturers and companies who supply to the chip industry.