Environmental Sustainability

Climate Change Risks and Opportunities

As a major manufacturer of printed circuit boards in Thailand, Apex recognises climate change's risks and potential impacts and the importance of green sustainability for corporate development. Therefore, Apex is committed to environmental protection and energy conservation, aiming to integrate production with environmental protection, optimise energy and resource use efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions and waste generation.

Apex has proposed a GREEN Project consisting of three main elements: renewable energy, water resource recycling, and reduction of GHG emissions. Firstly, the plan involves adopting ISO 14064 certification standards, developing an internal carbon footprint information collection platform, establishing a more comprehensive carbon inventory mechanism, and deepening the investigation of other GHG to develop carbon reduction plans. Secondly, Apex actively seeks alternative energy sources, building on the foundation of its Sandbox and Solar Project, collaborating with energy-saving organisations and equipment manufacturers to explore more energy-saving opportunities, expand the breadth of renewable energy programs, and strengthen carbon reduction policies.

Thirdly, addressing the issue of waste pollution management, Apex plans to reduce waste generation through new processes and developments, coupled with the Apex wastewater recycling project to enhance waste management and water resource management systems, moving towards resource recycling.

In addition to launching various large-scale environmental-friendly projects by relevant departments, the management team at Apex is also committed to raising employees' awareness of carbon reduction, integrating environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility into employees' thinking patterns, and leading employees to participate in green actions to protect the environment in their daily practices.


Since 2022, Apex has integrated stakeholder concerns into its risk and opportunity assessments. Through the ESG-related departments, stakeholder issues are consolidated, and senior executives assess risks and opportunities based on their impact level, categorised by frequency or likelihood. These are then ranked based on the product of impact level and frequency or probability, identifying significant risks and opportunities for management.

Climate Risk Scenario

Climate risk scenarios in this assessment combine Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). Scenarios are simulated to evaluate policy implementation's social and economic impacts, considering future GHG concentrations and radiative forcing from other climate model inputs to estimate various degrees of global warming scenarios. The scenario used in this report, SSP2-4.5, falls into the moderate category. This indicates a focus on regional economic and security issues over broader development, with uneven development among countries leading to unclear policy effectiveness. Despite efforts from global and national institutions, progress towards sustainable development goals remains slow. RCP 4.5 represents a moderate emissions scenario, with CO2 emissions declining only by the mid-century and unable to achieve net-zero emissions before 2100, aligning more closely with the current development path.

Climate change risks and opportunities impact the Company's strategic and financial planning. Therefore, Apex follows TCFD recommendations to assess the resilience of climate strategies by analysing transition and physical risk types alongside climate opportunities within a moderate scenario context. The scenario is set as follows:

Explanation and Response Strategies for Climate Change Risks and Opportunities

Management of Water Resources and Wastes

Wastewater and waste

PCB manufacturing processes rely on stable water resources, electricity, and chemicals, with complex wastewater characteristics and process flows. Apex initiated the Aqua Project in 2022, establishing a dedicated water resources task force and collaborating with suppliers to segregate liquids from various methods. These liquids undergo physical, chemical, and biological treatments for reuse or are sold to recycling companies to ensure resource recycling. Discharges that cannot be reused or sold are controlled within standard parameters per industrial zone regulations and discharged into designated channels according to rules.

Apex's water sources are obtained from third parties, specifically local water supply companies and industrial zone treatment plants. In 2023, Apex's withdrawal water was 3,822 megaliters, with a discharge of 3,058 megaliters. In 2022, withdraw water was 3,477 megaliters, with a discharge of 2,781 megaliters.

Water Recycle

Apex's water supply is entirely sourced from third parties, including local water utilities and industrial area treatment plants. After use in various processes, wastewater is discharged into holding tanks through different process routes:

  • Alkaline etching solution is treated with RecoCell equipment for electrolysis to recover copper from waste liquid. The processed alkaline etching solution is then returned to the respective process.
  • Certified vendors handle acidic etching solutions in the industrial area, where electrolysis is used to recover the remaining copper from waste liquid, maximising resource value.
  • Other process wastewater is filtered through RO systems, and over 90% of it is recycled for reuse in the original process.
  • Remaining wastewater is mixed with domestic sewage for sedimentation filtration to separate sludge, which vendors then treat.
  • Before discharging wastewater to treatment plants, the parameters of discharged wastewater are controlled within standard limits according to industrial area regulations.

In 2023, Apex's water intake was 3,822 megaliters, with water consumption estimated at approximately 764 megaliters and wastewater discharge at 3,058 megaliters. All discharge paths comply with industrial area regulations and Thai industrial laws to achieve environmental protection objectives. There were no significant violations of relevant laws in 2023. Considering the risk of water shortage in the region where the production plant is located, which is deemed low based on past experiences, Apex has measures to mitigate the impact of water scarcity on production downtime. This includes maintaining agreements with water suppliers to ensure continuous water supply and reduce disruptions to customer deliveries

Energy & GHG Emission

Energy Efficiency and Policy

Since the commencement of the Solar Project in 2022, construction has been progressively underway, with some solar equipment already in operation. In 2023, solar energy usage increased fourfold compared to the previous year, accounting for 2.03% of the energy usage. Throughout 2023, the installed facilities collectively generated 5,990 MWh of solar energy.

2023 Energy Saving Implementation Status:
  1. Lean Project
    The project, which included six measures to improve equipment operational efficiency, was implemented from 2022 to 2023. By the end of 2023, the equipment's energy consumption had been reduced by 11.48%, saving approximately 14,904 MWh annually.
  2. Solar Project
    The Solar Project has a total investment of 33 million USD, divided into 3 phases for installing solar energy systems from 2021 to 2027. Upon completion of all phases, the total installed capacity of the solar energy system is expected to exceed 21,000 kWp, equivalent to reducing over 15,000 tons of GHG emissions annually. Compared to the Company's GHG inventory data for the base year 2021, this represents a reduction of over 8% in carbon emissions. In 2023, an additional investment of approximately 80 million New Taiwan Dollars was made in major environmentally sustainable equipment related to green energy (solar power generation systems), with a cumulative installed capacity of 5,122.29 kWp. In addition to the commitment to sustainable development, professional vendors conducted safety-focused training sessions during the solar panel installation process, which were open to employee participation. Through collaborative efforts in energy sustainability construction, a sense of cohesion and pride as members of the Apex Family is fostered.
Mitigating Global Warming

Apex recognises the global concern for climate change and GHG emissions, as well as the importance of actions taken by all departments to reduce GHG emissions. Since 2016, Apex has established a GHG inventory as a basis for its emission reduction targets, using 2019 as the baseline year. The Company planned to reduce GHG emissions by 5% (Scope 1 + Scope 2) over the next five years, and by the end of 2022, Apex had successfully achieved this goal. With the establishment of the new Apex3 facility in 2022, the emissions for Scope 1 and Scope 2 in that year were used as the new baseline. The new interim targets set for 2023, based on the 2022 baseline, aim to reduce GHG emissions by 5% over the next five years.

Apex primarily consumes electricity for manufacturing and power supply. With the implementation of the FA Goal, energy consumption and GHG emissions have gradually decreased. Through the GREEN Project, Apex continuously increases the output and proportion of renewable energy. The first phase of the solar power generation project began partial operation in 2022, with an annual carbon reduction of over 3,700 tons. The project consists of 3 phases, with the first phase still under construction, aiming to reduce purchased electricity and carbon emissions effectively in the future.

Apex uses ISO 14064-1:2018 as the reporting standard, establishing a GHG inventory covering CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and NF3 applicable to the Company's operational control methods. Information collection for reporting is done regionally. If the Company has offices but no factories in a region, only the electricity consumption of the local office is collected. Taiwan uses the carbon emission coefficient published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, China follows the notice issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and Thailand follows the emission factor published by TGO-CFO. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) values are referenced from IPCC AR6. Apex collaborates with suppliers to conduct Scope 3 GHG inventories to control indirect GHG issues in the supply chain.

GHG Emissions Situation :

Environmental Policy

Compliance with Environmental Regulations

The Company operates all its facilities in compliance with government regulations related to environmental protection, ensuring adherence to all legal requirements, and conducts self-assessment according to various international standards. Continuous improvement of production processes is pursued to minimise sources of pollution, and the Company actively invests in pollution prevention and control equipment in alignment with environmental strategies. Qualified environmental service providers are engaged to handle pollution and waste, reducing the environmental impact on local communities, both actual and potential.

In 2023, all Apex facilities incurred no significant losses (including compensations) or penalties due to environmental pollution. Apex consistently operates at the highest standards to mitigate environmental costs during production processes, striving for mutual benefit with the environment.

  • Compliance with environmental laws and regulations
  • Continuous improvement of pollution prevention measures
  • Implementation of energy and resource conservation plans
  • Execution of environmental protection education and training
  • Introduction of an electronic document exchange system

Practical measures
  • Planting Saplings for Forest Restoration and Conservation
  • Donate Composting Bins for Waste Disposal, Burying Them to Serve as Fertiliser