Reducing the environmental impact of flexible electronics

Researchers from Finland have released the findings of a study that investigates how changing the manufacturing of electronics can improve their environmental impact. One of the project’s most significant findings showed that environmental impact could be reduced by 86% when additive printing methods are used to create flexible electronic components, as reported in detail by LUT University.

The project, conducted by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, showed several areas of electronics manufacturing where an impact on environmental footprint and sustainability is possible. Liisa Hakola, Senior Project Manager at VTT, said metal electronic parts are traditionally etched out of copper sheets in a process called PCB etching; the process removes unwanted copper from a printed circuit board so only the required circuit remains, while the rest of the sheet isn’t used.

“We found that flexible metal electronics parts can instead be printed onto bio-based substrates, like paper or bio-plastic. The process requires less energy and avoids the use of harmful chemicals while drastically reducing material waste and increasing the use of renewable materials. This change in the manufacturing process is the single largest factor in potentially reducing the climate impact of flexible electronics,” Hakola said.

In printed electronics, there are additional challenges that still need to be resolved. Silver has a high environmental impact and is commonly used for printed electronics. The project found that silver can be replaced with more abundant and less valuable alternatives, such as copper or carbon-based materials, to reduce the environmental footprint of flexible electronics. End-of-life management and longevity of product visibility (such as better durability and decreased energy consumption) are also key factors in creating more sustainable electronics.

In March 2022, the European Commission published its Sustainable Products Initiative, which aims to make all products placed on the EU market more sustainable. The initiative also includes electronics; therefore, manufacturers are met with increasing pressure to meet new sustainability requirements in the years to come.

“At VTT, our goal is to set a new standard for sustainability in the electronics industry and offer solutions that increase circularity at every stage of the electronics life cycle. Implementing these new manufacturing methods on a mass scale is a challenge that the industry will inevitably need to tackle in the coming decade in order to keep up with increasingly strict regulations and demands from consumers,” said Maria Smolander, Research Team Leader at VTT.

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