January 2026 The Shift e-newsletter
FREE Webinar: Semiconductor Chip Manufacturing | LCA as a Tool for Consensus | The Essential Role of Critical Reviews
Free Webinar: The Footprint of Semiconductor Chip Manufacturing
DATE: Tuesday, January 27th, 2026
TIME: 1pm - 2pm EST
PRESENTERS:
Cédric Rolin
imec
Description:
Semiconductor chip manufacturing is a resource-intensive process with significant environmental implications. This talk explores the sustainability challenges inherent in fabrication, including high energy demands for processing, high-GWP GHG emissions, extensive water consumption, and the use of chemicals and rare materials that contribute to resource depletion and waste generation. It examines the environmental impact across key stages of production—from raw material extraction to cleanroom operations—and discusses emerging strategies and innovations aimed at reducing the ecological footprint of semiconductor manufacturing for various chip technologies such as logic, DRAM, 3D-NAND.
About the Speaker:
Cédric Rolin is manager for imec’s Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) Program. He holds both an M.S. and a Ph.D. in materials science from Université Catholique de Louvain and spent 15 years advancing research in flexible electronics and nanoimprint lithography at imec and the University of Michigan. Over the past four years, Cédric has focused on driving sustainability in the semiconductor industry, with a particular emphasis on assessing and reducing the environmental footprint of manufacturing processes.
What Should You Do With Your Old Electronics After the Holidays? An LCA Perspective
Author: César Camou, Sustainability Analyst
The end-of-year celebrations have passed, and many people are starting the new year with a brand-new electronic device — a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. At the same time, an older device often sits nearby, still functional but no longer the latest model.
That raises a common question: what is the most responsible thing to do with it?
This situation is more common than one might think. According to Visa, purchases of electronic devices increase by up to 5.8% during December and January, which correlates with a rise in the replacement and end-of-life disposal of devices that ultimately become Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
Before a device is classified as WEEE, there are several options to extend its useful life.
LCA as a Tool for Consensus: Lessons from Practice Across Sectors
Authors: Amos Ncube, Senior Sustainability Advisor and Mariana Ortega Ramirez, Senior Sustainability Analyst
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is often introduced as a method for quantifying environmental impacts. In practice, however, its value increasingly lies elsewhere: in its ability to structure dialogue, surface assumptions, and support consensus among stakeholders with different priorities, incentives, and constraints.
This has become particularly evident in recent years, as sustainability considerations move from reporting exercises to core business and policy decisions. Whether in agriculture, bioproducts, or energy systems, organizations are being asked not only to demonstrate performance, but to align around credible, comparable, and transparent ways of measuring it.
Several projects we have worked on at EarthShift Global illustrate how LCA, when combined with careful facilitation, can serve as a platform for alignment rather than contention.
From Data to Decisions to Communications: The Essential Role of Critical Reviews in LCA
Author: Karen Martinsen Fleming
This month, we’re highlighting our Critical Review services by revisiting a widely read article on the role of independent review in Life Cycle Assessment.
The post explores how critical reviews support ISO compliance, strengthen stakeholder confidence, and ensure LCA results are both scientifically robust and clearly communicated.
Upcoming Training
We’re preparing our 2026 training offerings and look forward to sharing more soon.
Thank you for your continued interest and engagement.