German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies has taken over as head and coordinator of the research project EECONE (European ECOsystem for greeN Electronics), which aims to drive sustainability in the European electronics industry by reducing e-waste. 49 partners are participating in the EUR 35 million project. EUR 20 million will be provided by the EU and the governments of the partners. The research project was inaugurated on 20 September 2023 in Toulouse, France and will run for three years.
Project aims
Project aims
The goal of EECONE is to dramatically reduce the consumption of valuable resources in electronics production. To achieve this, the project aims to research more efficient methods of recycling, repairing, and reconditioning electronic components, as well as exploring alternative materials. The project will also focus on minimizing non-recyclable waste and enhancing recycling systems.
“Electronics are fundamental to improving the sustainability of many applications. But this is not sufficient, electronics themselves have to become greener,” said Constanze Hufenbecher, Infineon Management Board member and Chief Digital Transformation Officer. “Infineon is pleased to take on the lead role in the research project EECONE in order to advance the circular economy together with our partners along the value chain. The only way to achieve sustainability from design and use and all the way to recycling is by working together.”
Applications in various sectors, including automotive, consumer electronics, health, information and communication, aviation, and agriculture, will be investigated. Key focus areas include reducing material usage by making circuit boards thinner or smaller and introducing materials that are easier to separate during recycling.
The project will also look at ways to facilitate the replacement of circuit board and semiconductors to make it easier to repair devices and make it possible to reuse and recycle electronic components. The research will also look at developing technologies which generate and store power in IoT devices. Tools for more sustainable electronic design, including comprehensive impact assessments for the use of electronics, are also planned.
AT&S joins the project
One of the 49 participating partners, Austrian PCB manufacturer AT&S has announced it will invest 1.2 million euros in the EECONE project. The company’s ‘Resource Efficiency’ group, headed by Christof Wernbacher under the patronage of the ESG team, is already in the process of defining the first specifications and implementation concepts for green printed circuit boards.
“Today, electronic circuits can be found in almost every device we use in everyday life, from coffee machines to smartphones to electric cars,” said CTO Peter Griehsnig. “As a result, holistic solutions for our products and processes have a disproportionate influence. If our substrates and printed circuit boards use resources in the most environmentally friendly way possible and electronic waste can be further minimized, then we will be able to make a significant contribution to a more sustainable future.”
The company said it will continue to expand its expertise in the field of sustainability over the next three years in order to be able to offer customers green solutions in all market segments. Life cycle assessment, which is already being used for the life cycles of many products, is to be further improved and taken into account as standard in the company‘s offerings for customers in the future.
Other EECONE project partners will work on resource-efficient microchip production, sustainable chip design, energy-efficient, networked sensors that do not require an external power supply, and data analysis tools to optimize the lifespan of electronic products.
and processes have a disproportionate influence. If our substrates and printed circuit boards use resources in the most environmentally friendly way possible and electronic waste can be further minimized, then we will be able to make a significant contribution to a more sustainable future.”
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