Assessing Procurement Practices and Sustainable Partnerships in the Semiconductor Industry: A Framework for Environmental Innovation and Compliance

The purpose of the following research is to understand, evaluate, and propose guidelines for the procurement practices of goods and services in the semiconductor industry to foster environmental innovation and legal compliance. Although 1.1 trillion microchips were produced worldwide in 2021, the chip shortage is still characteristic of this industry, and it is estimated that the demand will duplicate by 2030. Until now, the environmental impact procurement of goods and services in this industry is under-researched and has only been approached from a monodisciplinary perspective. This study will adopt an interdisciplinary approach grounded in classical legal analysis and supply chain management in order to (1) identify the demands of procurement for innovation and sustainability in the semiconductor industry; (2) conduct a legal analysis of the supranational framework and international principles relevant to procurement, innovation, and sustainability; (3) design sustainability innovation-driven procurement practices: and (4) construct guidelines for enhanced sustainable procurement in the industry and evaluate its implementation. In doing so, a literature review and supply chain road mapping will be used to review how the legal, environmental, and supply chain management approaches influence the subject. The research design follows a mixed method of qualitative analysis of the corporate practices for the regulation of innovation, sustainability, and procurement within the semiconductor industry. This project will also integrate semi-quantitative analysis for the estimation of GHG for scope 3 emissions in the purchase of goods and services in procurement for semiconductors.