Sustainable materials and processes for electronics, photonics and diagnostics

This paper discusses applicability of sustainable substrate alternatives for printed and other roll-to-roll (R2R) compatible electronics, photonics and diagnostics. Substrate candidates include bio-based plastics and cellulose based substrates, including paper, carton board and nano cellulose. This paper takes a case-specific approach for sustainability and besides changing the substrate also discusses other sustainability aspects for a temperature monitoring intelligent package solution. End-of-life processes, such as recycling, composting and biodegradability, will be paid a due attention. The role of life cycle assessment (LCA) as the main tool for quantifying environmental impact is discussed. The paper will summarize a set of selection criteria that sustainable devices have to fulfil in order to function as part of electronics, photonics and diagnostics products and at the same time be compatible with printing and other R2R compatible processes. Innovative component and device opportunities that increase electronics, photonics and diagnostics product sustainability are defined, and industrial expectations towards sustainability is summarized