Taiwan's devastating typhoon this August just prompted the country's prime minister to resign over poor response.

At the entrepreneurial echelon, though, NYSE-listed Taiwanese company United Microelectronics Corp. (NYSE:UMC) is being lauded for its role as not only a top international microchip brand but also as a local force for social good.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index chooses companies from around the U.S. and the world that exhibit high standards on issues like corruption, environmental friendliness, quality control, and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

In the wake of Typhoon Morakot, UMC went above and beyond the call of duty, dispatching fire trucks and volunteers throughout southern Taiwan to help in search and rescue operations.

CEO Dr. Shih-Wei Sun says UMC will also provide continuing help to typhoon victims in the areas of psychological counseling and education.

It's UMC's second consecutive year of being taken onto the exclusive DJSI global list, where only about 12% of all the 2,608 international companies reviewed are taken onto the final leaderboard.

Even without the unfortunate opportunity it had this year to show its CSR bonafides, UMC's ongoing operations in Taiwan and Singapore have landed it in a small group of only 6 semiconductor companies around the world that made the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

While UMC might not be a "cleantech" company per se, along the lines of those that directly manufacture products like smart meters, lithium batteries, and solar panels, UMC is a clean tech company and green stock par excellence.

You can learn more about the index here: http://www.sustainability-index.com/

Regards,

Sam Hopkins