Sustainable electronics

Integrated design assisted by materials and technology innovations can help a transition from traditional to sustainable electronics.

It is imperative that sustainability issues are considered throughout the life cycle of modern organic electronic devices. Here McCulloch and colleagues evaluate the status of embedded carbon, options for more sustainable materials, and recycling solutions both during manufacturing and at the end of life in organic electronic products.

The commercialization of electronic textile (e-textile) products requires balanced sustainability considerations. Here the authors propose an e-textile design framework involving repair, recycle, replacement and reduction that can unify environmental friendliness, market viability, supply-chain resilience and user experience quality.

Xiaodong Chen, a professor at Nanyang Technological University (School of Materials Science and Engineering), talks to Nature Materials about how innovations in materials science and technology are paving the way for a more sustainable future in electronics.