What are Printed Electronics
In 2019, the United Nations estimated that each person living in the European Union generated more than 19kg of e-waste - the highest per capita rate of e-waste generation in the world.
While 42.5% of Europe’s e-waste is recycled, most electronics end their lifecycle in landfill sites, leaving high quantities of valuable metals and non-renewable materials to erode or leach into nearby soils.
Although printed electronics can mitigate against e-waste, the processes and materials used in their fabrication are not yet environmentally sustainable.
As a result, if we are to reduce the environmental impact of future electronic devices, we need to embed eco-design principles into every stage of their development and lifecycle.
Printed electronics are fabricated using conductive inks, which are layered onto a flexible thin film to create electrical circuits.
Because this process is a much simpler and cost-effective way of producing electronics, some of the world’s leading companies are already beginning to use printed electronics in their devices and appliances.
As printed electronics are lightweight and flexible, it is anticipated that the technology will be used in fields such as preventative medicine and engineering, where they allow for the transmission of key data through smart labels.
Why Green Printed Electronics?
REFORM Project
The REFORM project will use bio-derived adhesives, conductive inks and flexible substrates to develop three prototypes; a green smart logistics tag, a green embedded wireless sensor and a micro supercapacitor.
By developing these environmentally benign electronic building blocks, we hope to accelerate and guide the development of a new European green functional electronics supply chain that will embrace and embed eco-design principles at every juncture.
To achieve our ambition, we have brought together world-renowned academics, non-profit RTOs, industrial associations, private SME partners and large firms from eight countries across Europe.
Ultimately, we want to fast-track the development of green functional electronics so that they can meet the technological and compliance demands of industry and society.