COMMENT Circularity in the electronics


industry is no longer a pipe dream Leading sustainable electronics provider In2tec has created an innovative way to bring circularity to the electronics industry. The UK-based company has been developing a solution that will allow for the removal and reuse of electrical components from Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs)


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ccording to a report by The Circularity Gap Report, the current global economy is currently just 7.2% circular (dropping from 9.1% in 2018), meaning that for the most part materials are mined, created into products, sold, and then disposed of this is a linear economy and is simply unsustainable for continued life on earth. This is a very wasteful process and yet makes up the majority of transactions.


A circular economy allows for materials to be made into products, sold and then recycled back into the manufacturing process. This reduces the raw materials used in manufacturing new products. Circularity in the electronics industry has always been deemed to be an impossibility due to a number of issues including the complexity of the construction of conventional Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs), the limited recycling and reusability options for electrical circuitry and the diffi culties in separating the components from their current position.


These issues along with many more have consistently been the excuse of electronics manufacturers for not transitioning to a more sustainable manufacturing process. However, In2tec’s new unzippable PCBA allows manufacturers to remove components from existing electronics and use them in other technologies. Called ReUSE, rather than using conventional solder to connect electrical components it uses a patented electrically conductive adhesive. This then allows manufacturers to reuse electrical components through one of In2tec’s other innovations, ReCYCLE. This low energy solution allows for the removal of components without causing and stress or damage to the materials, allowing for their reuse in other electronics products or simply for resale.


“Our solutions for the reusing of electronics products allows for manufacturers to recycle their existing components and reutilise


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A circular economy allows for materials to be made into products, sold and then recycled back into the manufacturing process. This reduces the raw materials used in manufacturing new products.


them in future electronics, not only bringing full circularity to the electronics industry, but also minimising the usage of raw materials that are rapidly running out,” said Emma Armstrong, sustainable electronics ambassador at In2tec.


Linear economies not only reduce the global materials supply, but also cause massive amounts of pollution in water, soil and air whilst also raising the earth’s temperature to unstable levels. More than 90% of materials are either wasted, lost or remain unavailable for reuse for years as they are locked into long-lasting structures such as buildings.


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Ms Armstrong said: “The industry needs a solution that will minimise the usage of newly mined materials and reuse existing components that in most cases have been used for barely a quarter of their realistic lifespan.


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“In2tec’s ReUSE and ReCYCLE allow for manufacturers to not only reduce their costs spent on new components but also create additional revenue streams through the resale of recycled perfectly usable components.”


A number of large OEMs expressed an interest and are now engaged with In2tec to better understand the technology and the benefi ts it will have for introducing a circular economy to their manufacturing processes. “The current linear economy is not just unsustainable; it simply cannot continue. Global resources are running out and for the benefi t of future generations we must reuse what we currently have.


Ms Armstrong concluded: “In2tec’s ReUSE and ReCYCLE solutions not only offer the electronics industry a chance at improving its impact on the planets resources but also provide an opportunity to improve the usage of components so that they can be utilised to their limits of viability.”


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