EPA/600/R-13/285 | November 2013 www.epa.gov Sustainable Electronics Roadmap Office of Research and Development National Risk Management Research Laboratory Sustainable Technology Division Cincinnati, OH 45268 i EPA/600/R-13/285 November 2013 Sustainable Electronics Roadmap Sustainable Electronics Forum October 15-18, 2012 The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread Racine, WI by Jennifer McCulley, PhD. Scientific Consulting Group, Inc. Endalkachew Sahle-Demessie, Ph.D. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Risk Management Research Laboratory Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 Sustainable Technology Division National Risk Management Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Cincinnati, OH 45268 Disclaimer The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Office of Research and Development, in collaboration with the Green Electronics Council and The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread organized the Sustainable Electronics Forum that was facilitated by the Scientific Consulting Group, Inc. EPA Contract number EP-W-07-078. This document has been subjected to the Agency’s peer and administrative review and has been approved for publication. Any opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and forum participants, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency; therefore, no official endorsement should be inferred. Any mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. iii Acknowledgement The Organizing Committee wishes to acknowledge everyone who participated in this Forum, especially our sponsoring organizations and facilitators. The committee also wishes to express its appreciation to Jennifer McCulley and Susie Warner of Scientific Consultant Group, Inc., who were Work Assignment and Project Officers for organizing the Forum through the EPA Contract number EP-W-07-078. They worked very hard in organizing the Forum and seeing that everything ran smoothly. The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread’s Susie Seidelman provided useful assistance throughout the development of the program and as the wonderful host for the Forum. We would like to recognize and acknowledge Helen Clarkson and James Taplin of Forum for the Future, who facilitated the conference and documented the comments for the Roadmap. Finally the committee acknowledges Dr. George Moore in EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), who was the contracting officer representative, and Dr. Sheryl Mebane for her generous assistance in editing the document. We appreciate the contribution of Barbara Kyle, Christian Hagelüken and Dr. Bob Pfahl, who have shown long-term dedication for sustainable electronics. Organizing Committee Dr. Meadow Anderson Dr. Alan Hecht U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research & Development Office of Research & Development Dr. Anne Riederer Dr. John Leazer U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research & Development Office of Research & Development Dr. Endalkachew Sahle-Demessie Mr. Wayne Rifer U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Green Electronics Council Office of Research & Development iv Sponsoring Organizations United States Environmental Protection Agency Green Electronics Council Johnson Foundation at Wingspread v Table of Contents Disclaimer ...................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgement ......................................................................................................................... iv Organizing Committee ................................................................................................................... iv Sponsoring Organizations ............................................................................................................... v PART I ........................................................................................................................................... 6 1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 6 1.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Sustainable Electronics Forum ........................................................................................... 7 1.3 Forum Objectives ................................................................................................................ 7 1.4 Sustainable Electronics Vision ........................................................................................... 7 1.5 Next Steps ........................................................................................................................... 8 2. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 9 2.1. Issues and trends that will contribute to a sustainable electronics industry ..................... 10 2.2 Opportunities and barriers to achieving a sustainable electronics industry ...................... 11 2.3 What capacity, knowledge and skills does the electronics industry need to develop to be sustainable? ....................................................................................................................... 15 2.4 What objectives should voluntary electronic standards be designed to achieve to encourage a sustainable electronics industry? .................................................................. 16 2.5 What could federal and state governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) do to promote the design and development of more sustainable electronics, advance science and create awareness? ......................................... ..................................................17 2.6 What changes outside of the industry will enable or hinder the transition to a sustainable electronics industry? ......................................................................................................... 18 3. Sustainable Electronics Roadmap ........................................................................................ 19 3.1 Materials and Processes Cause No Harm ......................................................................... 21 3.2 Resource Optimization...................................................................................................... 21 3.3 Energy, Water and Biodiversity ........................................................................................ 22 3.4 Community Enrichment ................................................... ..................................................23 3.5 Safe and Fair Working Conditions .................................. ..................................................23 3.6 Sustainable Business Models ............................................................................................ 24 1 Part 2 ......................................................................................................................................... 25 4. Roadmap Milestone and Research Issues ............................................................................ 25 Materials and Processes Cause No Harm: Roadmap .............................................................. 27 Resource Optimization: Roadmap .......................................................................................... 32 Resource Optimization: Notes ................................................................................................ 35 Energy, Water and Biodiversity: Roadmap ............................................................................ 37 Resource Optimization: Notes ................................................................................................ 38 Enriching Communities: Roadmap ......................................................................................... 39 Energy, Water and Biodiversity: Notes .................................................................................. 40 Safe and Fair Working Conditions: Roadmap ...................................................................... 41 Safe and Fair Working Conditions: Notes .............................................................................. 42 Business Model: Roadmap ..................................................................................................... 43 Business Models: Notes .......................................................................................................... 44 PART 3 ........................................................................................................................................ 47 5. Meeting Summary .................................................................................................................. 48 5.0 Day 1 – October 16, 2012 ................................................................................................. 48 5.1 Welcome and Conference Objectives ................................................................................50 5.2 Participant Introductions ................................................................................................... 53 5.3 Overview of the Forum ..................................................................................................... 54 5.4 Sustainable Electronics Vision ........................................................................................