UMC (NYSE: UMC; TSE: 2303),
a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that it has been selected
as a global component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the second
consecutive year, following DJSI's 2009 annual review. UMC was listed for both
the DJSI-World and DJSI-Asia Pacific indexes this year. DJSI-World 2009 chose
2,608 global enterprises for evaluation, with 317 enterprises selected as global
components. Only six semiconductor companies were selected globally. UMC scored
top marks among technology sector companies in several areas, including Codes
of Conduct/Compliance/Anti-Corruption & Bribery, Product Quality and Recall
Management in economic dimension and Standards for Suppliers in social dimension.
Moreover, UMC scored high marks in overall three dimensions: economy, environment
and society. UMC's listing underscores the company's exceptional performance
in sustainable operations, which is on par with leading global companies and
recognized by international investors.
Dr. Shih-Wei Sun, CEO from UMC, said, "It is a great pleasure that UMC's
accomplishments in corporate sustainability have been recognized again by Dow
Jones Sustainability Indexes, one of the most respected indexes worldwide. Sustainable
growth and corporate social responsibility have always been core aspects of
UMC's operation, and we take practical and continuous steps in this direction.
Throughout the past year, despite the challenges brought by the global economic
downturn, UMC considered employee's rights as our priority and flexibly adjusted
our operations to face business challenges. More recently, following the disaster
caused by Taiwan's latest typhoon, UMC sent its fire trucks and volunteers to
southern Taiwan to provide direct assistance to typhoon victims. Furthermore,
UMC will also provide resources for long-term assistance in several areas such
as education and psychological consulting. Being listed as a DJSI component
is not the end result of our efforts, but marks the beginning of further self-improvement.
Going forward, we will continue to fulfill our responsibility as a corporate
citizen and make contributions to the environment and society, while enhancing
our business competitiveness to maximize shareholders' benefits."
Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes was launched jointly by Dow Jones Index, STOXX
and Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) in 1999. DJSI includes global indexes,
regional indexes and special indexes. Global components of DJSI are reselected
every year based on the comprehensive evaluation of the performance of each
enterprise in the aspects of economy, environment and society. "DJSI-World"
picks approximately 2,500 global enterprises for the evaluation and the top
10% of these enterprises will be listed as its components. "DJSI-Asia Pacific"
picks top 600 enterprises in Asia Pacific for the evaluation, and the top 20%
whose market coverage are in top 45% in this region will be listed as its components.
UMC (NYSE: UMC, TSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that provides
advanced technology and manufacturing services for applications spanning every
major sector of the IC industry. UMC's customer-driven foundry solutions allow
chip designers to leverage the strength of the company's leading-edge processes,
which include production proven 65nm, 45/40nm, mixed signal/RFCMOS, and a wide
range of specialty technologies. Production is supported through 10 wafer manufacturing
facilities that include two advanced 300mm fabs; Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based
Fab 12i are both in volume production for a variety of customer products. The
company employs approximately 12,000 people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan,
Japan, Singapore, Europe, and the United States.