Renewable resources for electronics: Lignin-based polymers for printed circuit boards

The electronics industry bears an enormous potential for fostering the sustainable development through its technological innovations. However, the growing product numbers consume more and more resources (materials, energy) and generate more and more wastes and emissions. Especially, plastics are often not recycled, but are rather incinerated and so limited resources are ?lost? to the technosphere. In addition, the resulting accumulation of fossil CO2 in the earth's atmosphere is among the causes of the global greenhouse effect. To reduce the environmental burden caused by manufacturing, use and disposal of electronic products is one important reason why bioplastics made from renewable ressources are increasingly gaining in importance since the end of the nineties. The paper will give an overview about world-wide efforts for application of bioplastics in electronics and especially about a material and process development of printed circuit boards made from renewable resources