Abstract
The development of printed circuit boards (PCBs) has so far followed a traditional linear economy value chain, leading to high volumes of waste production and loss of value at the end-of-life. Consequentially, the electronics industry requires a transition to more sustainable practices. This review article presents an overview of the potential solutions and new opportunities that may arise from the greater use of emerging sustainable materials and resource-efficient manufacturing. A brief contextual summary about how the international management of waste PCBs (WPCBs) and legalization have evolved over the past 20 years is presented along with a review of the existing materials used in PCBs. The environmental and human health assessments of these materials relative to their usage with PCBs are also explained. This enables the identification of which ecofriendly materials and new technologies will be needed to improve the sustainability of the industry. Following this, a comprehensive analysis of existing WPCB processing is presented. Finally, a detailed review of potential solutions is provided, which has been partitioned by the use of emerging sustainable materials and resource-efficient manufacturing. It is hoped that this discussion will transform existing manufacturing facilities and inform policies, which currently focus on waste management, toward waste reduction and zero waste.
Highlights
The advances in electronics over the last more than 50 years have revolutionized all traditional socio-economic sectors
“Formal collection” activities usually fall under the requirements of national or regional Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) legislation, in which WEEE is collected by designated organizations
To encourage the repair and reuse of WEEE is the best method to encourage circular electronics, but this may not be enough in the long term as the use of digital technologies is on the rise and many Information and communications technology (ICT) equipment are the least recycled devices because of their small size and people’s preference of privacy [105]
Summary
The advances in electronics over the last more than 50 years have revolutionized all traditional socio-economic sectors (e.g., health, agriculture, aerospace, manufacturing, retail etc.). Manufacturers are coming under greater pressure to innovate repair solutions While these are steps in the right direction, it will be worthwhile to consider a pro-active approach, involving switching to the development of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) using more sustainable materials and resource-efficient manufacturing. The article starts with the historical perspective on WEEE, explaining how the international management of WEEE and legalisation has evolved over the past 20 years This is followed by a short discussion, on the materials currently used in Information and communications technology (ICT) hardware along with an environmental assessment of these materials. The motivation for this discussion is to identify which eco-friendly materials and new technologies will be needed to improve the sustainability of the industry This article is expected to stimulate the discussion about revising policies from the current focus on waste management towards waste reduction and zero waste – when there will be no need to develop a waste management strategy
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