The world produces 62 million tonnes of e-waste. Yet only 22.3 % of that total is formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner.

Many of the electronics we think we are ‘recycling’ end up exported — often underreported or illegally shipped — to developing countries, where they are dumped or processed in unsafe conditions.

Against this backdrop, the conversation around sustainability in electronics is crucial. For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the question is no longer whether e-waste is ‘your problem’ or someone else’s — it is how quickly you can redesign products, supply chains and business models so that electronics remain part of the climate solution, not part of the problem.

Actions speak louder than slogans when it comes to making electronics more ethical. That requires thoughtful improvement across the entire value chain — from selection of sustainable electronics materials to responsible end-of-life handling — and an honest appraisal of where your organisation stands today.

As attitudes shift, best-practice frameworks are emerging. Sustainable electronics manufacturing is increasingly central to corporate strategies.

Closing the loop on materials and energy

The business case for sustainability in manufacturing is not only moral — it is economic. Analysis by the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) indicates that if UK manufacturing SMEs adopted just half of the energy-efficiency measures used by the most efficient companies, they could collectively gain roughly £10 billion per year in additional profit.

For electronics manufacturers and OEMs that demonstrate that sustainability in electronics is not only a compliance or reputational issue, but it can also be a profit lever.

In practice, this means designing manufacturing systems so that materials circulate via the shortest possible loops, retaining value for as long as possible through reuse, repair and high-quality recycling rather than disposal.

This shift — from linear to circular manufacturing — underpins broader sustainability in electronics industry roadmaps and requires close attention to:

• Energy efficiency in production lines and facilities.
• Smarter use of sustainable electronics materials and clean energy sources.
• Process design that minimises scrap and enables recapture of materials.

A key aim for OEMs should be to embed these principles as early as possible in electronics design and development processes.

Core principles for sustainable manufacturing loops

To make sustainability in electronics practical and achievable, many manufacturers are aligning with five core principles:

1. Reuse

Reuse is the most efficient and desirable outcome. It means extending the life of resources — heat, water, material and energy — within a factory or across a broader ecosystem. In an ideal scenario, you create a 100% closed loop, often involving local authorities or specialist partners.

Sustainable electronics manufacturers can support reuse through practices such as:

• Designing durable products and housings built to survive multiple lifecycles.
• Choosing sustainable materials for electronics that withstand repeated use.
• Re-using packaging, trays and assembly fixtures wherever possible.

2. Repair and Remanufacture

Legislation such as the WEEE Directive already requires that returned electronics be handled responsibly. As ‘repairability’ becomes a purchasing criterion and regulatory concern, electronics manufacturing companies will face growing pressure to deliver innovative repair or remanufacture solutions.

For OEMs, enabling sustainable electronic development means thinking long-term to:

• Ensure spare-part availability and interchangeability.
• Design products with modular sub-assemblies so that defective parts can be replaced, not entire units.
• Provide firmware/software update paths to extend product lifetimes rather than forcing replacements.

Manufacturers that adopt best practices early and build repair-friendly, modular product architectures will gain a competitive edge — both in sustainability credentials and long-term customer loyalty.

3. Recycling

In practice, recycling remains the highest point many electronics ever reach in the sustainability chain. However, truly effective recycling must retain as much of the original value as possible.

Traditionally, printed circuit boards (PCBs) are viewed as non-repairable and often only stripped for metals. But more advanced PCB recycling processes are emerging. These include careful manual disassembly (with protective equipment) and newer, more sophisticated treatment technologies that recover metals, glass, plastics and other materials.

Although many devices — from smartphones to laptops to solar panels — remain only partially recyclable, improving sustainable electronics recycling and especially printed circuit board recycling is critical to closing the resource loop. The more value that can be reclaimed, the less we need to extract new raw materials.

4. Recovery

When reuse, repair or high-value recycling are not feasible, recovery offers a fallback. Some materials may be incinerated for energy or converted into biofuels — not ideal, but preferable to uncontrolled dumping. Recovery can, therefore, serve as a bridge while recycling infrastructure and policies mature.

5. Disposal

Disposal — particularly landfill — is the least desirable outcome. For many parts of the world, disposal remains the default. But the environmental cost is huge, both in terms of lost resources and pollution.

Encouragingly, some innovations are emerging to reduce disposal, such as overmoulding processes that allow plastics to be recycled rather than discarded. OEMs should prioritise design and supply-chain partnerships that reduce reliance on single-use materials and maximise circularity.

Improving electronics products through design and development

Every stage of an electronic product’s lifecycle — from design and sourcing, through assembly, logistics and end-of-life — can have a significant environmental impact. OEMs that embed sustainable electronic development throughout will be best placed to meet both regulatory expectations and growing customer demand.

Design eco-friendly products from the outset

The most effective way to build sustainability into electronics is to design for it from the very beginning. That means:

• Prioritising energy-efficient architectures and components to reduce in-use power consumption.
• Minimising material use through compact, efficient mechanical and electronic layouts.
• Considering end-of-life options during initial product concept and system design.

Techniques like design for manufacturability ensure that products can be assembled efficiently, with minimal scrap, rework or waste. Early collaboration with electronic design and manufacturing services providers helps embed manufacturing constraints, testability, repairability and upgrade paths into the design — rather than attempting to retrofit sustainability later.

Rethink raw materials

Toxic substances (such as mercury, lead, cadmium and lithium) pose serious environmental and health risks, especially if devices are dumped or processed improperly.

Replacing these with more benign alternatives like aluminium, borosilicate glass, iron alloys or even graphene can significantly reduce pollution risk. These ‘green’ materials often perform as well as (or better than) traditional ones and may reduce energy consumption during use. Choosing high-quality, sustainable electronics materials is, therefore, not only better for the environment — it can also improve product performance and lifespan.

Optimise printed circuit boards and product architecture

Because PCBs lie at the heart of almost every electronic device, printed circuit board design is a key lever for efficiency and sustainability. For OEMs, good PCB design can include:

• Layer stack-ups optimised to minimise board material without compromising performance.
• Thoughtful component placement to reduce overall board size, which in turn reduces packaging volume and materials.
• Routing strategies that simplify assembly and inspection, reducing rework and scrap.

A more compact, efficient board design lowers material usage, reduces energy consumption during manufacture and simplifies future printed circuit board recycling and recovery efforts.

Build in reuse, repair and remanufacture

Designing with reuse and repair in mind is essential for any forward-looking, sustainable electronics manufacturer. Key practical steps include:

• Modular product structures so individual boards or sub-assemblies can be replaced rather than discarding whole units.
• Use of standard fasteners (screws, clips) instead of adhesives to make disassembly and reassembly feasible.
• Designing for accessibility and diagnostics to enable easier in-field repair.

These steps support refurbishment and remanufacture programmes, giving products extended lifetimes and enabling circular business models.

Design for recycling and recovery

Even with reuse and repair, many devices will eventually need recycling or recovery. Responsible sustainable electronic development involves anticipating this from the start by:

• Using clear material labelling to support downstream separation.
• Avoiding unnecessary coatings, composites or mixed-material assemblies that hinder recycling.
• Engaging early with recycling partners to ensure that end-of-life plans are realistic, including printed circuit board recycling and precious-metal recovery.

Designing with recycling in mind increases the yield and value of recovered materials and helps avoid loss of valuable resources.

Go the extra mile with transportation and packaging

Sustainability doesn’t end when a product leaves the factory. Packaging and logistics also influence environmental impact:

• Use robust, right-sized packaging that avoids redundant or excessive protective layers.
• Re-evaluate whether every product truly needs multiple layers of packaging — especially for durable, well-protected devices.
• Train manufacturing and logistics teams to handle products carefully so as to minimise damage, thus reducing returns or early replacements.

Combined, these often-overlooked details contribute directly to more sustainable electronics and slimmer overall lifecycle footprints.

Check your electronics manufacturer’s credentials

Does your electronics manufacturer have these sustainability accreditations?

Choosing the right electronics manufacturing partner is now as much about environmental performance as technical capability, quality or price. OEMs should look beyond basic manufacturing credentials and ask deeper questions about how your partners support your sustainability goals.

Putting sustainable electronics principles into practice

For OEMs ready to turn these principles into action, partnering with an experienced provider can make all the difference.

EC Electronics is a global sustainable electronics manufacturer with nearly 40 years’ experience managing complex projects across markets, including healthcare, industrial, automotive and the Internet of Things (IoT).

As a sustainable electronics manufacturer, we’re committed to implementing environmentally friendly practices throughout the manufacturing process — from supply chain to product delivery.

We’re actively working to reduce our carbon footprint even while operating globally and have achieved 0% landfill from our UK factories, alongside ISO 14001 certification. Sustainability is reshaping how EC Electronics works — from reducing energy use on site to increasing packaging recyclability and improving end-of-life recovery for products, including advanced PCB assemblies, where printed circuit board recycling considerations are increasingly important.

By integrating sustainability in electronics into every stage of the project, EC Electronics helps OEMs align commercial goals with environmental responsibilities. Whether you need support with sustainable electronic development, design for manufacturability or scaling production through trusted electronic design and manufacturing services, the team can help you embed sustainability from day one.

Are you ready to take steps toward a greener future? To see how EC Electronics could help make your next electronics project more sustainable, contact our team today.