Engaging Employees to Contribute to a Company’s Bold Sustainability Goals

After years of tremendous semiconductor market growth and the capital equipment production required to support it, the industry’s demand for energy and materials is at an all-time high. Fortunately, efforts to mitigate climate change and reduce waste are simultaneously reaching an inflection point as major players formalize significant commitments to environmental sustainability.

Several SEMI member companies, including Lam Research, have set goals to become net zero by 2050 while others have set aggressive emission and material use reduction targets. These same companies are also forming or expanding Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) teams as part of their execution strategy. While these developments are encouraging, many employees will wonder how they fit into a company’s overarching sustainability strategies. How can individual contributors make a difference?

At Lam Research, employees wrestling with important questions about sustainability and how they can best contribute to the company’s bold ESG goals are joining the Lam Employee Sustainability Community (LESC). Once a sustainability-focused grassroots movement connecting passionate employees, LESC is now the newest employee resource group (ERG). The group seeks to empower fellow colleagues by providing learning opportunities, hosting a forum for discussion on environmental challenges, and also increasing visibility of ESG initiatives across the company.

Guided by the company’s ESG, EHS (environmental, health and safety) and inclusion and diversity (I&D) teams, LESC provides a pathway for employees – regardless of role and function – to accelerate the company’s progress towards its ESG goals. Fulfillment of a company’s ambitious sustainability goals requires a coordinated, bottom-up effort. An employee-led group, such as LESC, can play a significant role in realizing the ESG vision.

Since its formation in February 2021, LESC has gained momentum, growing participation to nearly 300 members across multiple locations. With I&D program governance and a volunteer leadership board in place, LESC now has formalized goals and objectives, monthly meetings and a growing list of guest speakers and discussion topics for future events.

Educating and Empowering Fellow Employees Passionate for ESG  

LESC connects its members to events hosted in collaboration with internal and external speakers on topics ranging from semiconductor industry sustainability challenges to plastic reduction and the carbon footprint of supply chains. Most recently, the group invited Stacey MacNeil, Lam’s chief communications officer, whose responsibilities include ESG, to discuss the company’s roadmap in achieving its most ambitious sustainability goal: achieving net zero by 2050. Additional employee educational efforts include publishing and distributing quarterly sustainability newsletters across the company, deploying training for new employees on proper recycling practices, and engaging with food services to create more sustainable meals and meal packaging options.

LESC empowers fellow employees who are passionate about ESG by connecting them to the resources needed to drive ownership and fast execution of volunteer-led projects in alignment with the company’s ESG goals. In fact, approximately 50% of LESC projects are proposed by members who are not part of the group’s leadership team. Additional projects also originate outside LESC from employees seeking assistance with their sustainability and environmental justice ideas.

Looking Forward

With a heightened global focus on environmental stewardship, especially within the semiconductor industry, the time is ripe for groups such as LESC. Engaging employees passionate about sustainability and I&D will accelerate the timeline of a company’s ambitious ESG goals and will also promote an inclusive culture where each employee’s voice can be heard. As LESC transitions into its second year, its focus on education and empowerment is expanding globally with increased involvement from colleagues across Europe and Asia, further diversifying the ideas and opportunities for ESG initiatives.

In addition to increasing global participation, LESC plans to establish a communication network for sustainability best practices and to collaborate with other Lam employee resource groups in areas of common interest. LESC is just one of the many efforts in the ESG ecosystem, but one that provides a unique and important outlet for all employees.

Tips for Engaging Passionate Employees to Create a Sustainability Community

Here are a few best practices we learned when establishing LESC:

1. Start now. The need is apparent and the momentum is building.
2. Find and engage supportive leaders and executive sponsors. Be inclusive – every employee can contribute to the movement.
3. Start small and build up as the community grows. Be patient and plan for the long term.
4. Spread the word through all employee communication networks. Be creative in your outreach.
5. Harness the power of employees' passion for progress on sustainability and ESG goals.
6. Empower ideas from the community by providing resources and visibility.

We hope this example will inspire those passionate about the environment and I&D at other companies to start or join their own sustainability communities.

About the Authors

Talia Barth is a product engineer in Global Supply Chain Operations, Jared Herr is a mechanical engineer in the Deposition product group, and Kyle Tom is a product engineer in the Customer Support Business Group at Lam Research.