Global semiconductor equipment and services company KLA today announced that its near-term targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) including its new Scope 3 goal targeting emissions from the use of its products by customers.

In 2022, the company announced its commitment to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2021 baseline. At that time the company announced also a goal to use 100% renewable electricity across global operations by 2030, in addition to pledging to work towards a Scope 3 emissions reduction target.

Scope 3 emissions represent the overwhelming majority (more than 98%) of the company’s GHG footprint, and use of sold products accounts for roughly three-quarters of Scope 3.

The company’s new Scope 3 goal is to achieve an emissions reduction of 52% per billion transistors inspected, measured, or processed by customers operating KLA products at their manufacturing sites by 2030 from a 2021 baseline. The company said that the target was set after modelling efficiency metrics and product roadmaps in order to plan a reduction of Scope 3.

Ahmad Khan, President, Semiconductor Process Control, Electronics, Packaging and Components, and KLA Instruments, said:

“Our intimate customer collaboration gives KLA unique insights into the challenges facing the industry, and this extends to how we think about measuring ourselves and our collective impact on the environment. The SBTi acceptance of KLA’s proposed science-based targets is exciting for us, and we believe it also helps establish a clear benchmark for others in our industry so that we might accelerate our work toward reduced emissions and better performance.”

The SBTi approval and new Scope 3 goal were announced alongside the release by KLA of its annual Global Impact Report for 2023, which provides stakeholder groups with a more detailed look at the company’s overall performance against stated ESG goals over the last calendar year.

John McLaughlin, Global ESG Leader at KLA, said:

“In much the same way we approach problem-solving with our customers, our Scope 3 goal is powered by the advances in technology to increase our efficiency, building on KLA’s 48-year heritage of offering leading solutions that can improve product yield and reduce waste across the semiconductor industry. With our near-term targets validated by SBTi, we have a clear metric to guide our sustainability journey, and we look forward to continuing to provide customers with solutions that help them meet their climate goals.”