Sustainability has become an increasingly important topic in virtually every industry. If a product is not seen as sustainable, reusable or recyclable, it becomes more difficult to justify its use.

For an emerging industry like flexible and/or printed electronics, being able to show its environmental advantages is critical. It’s not enough to say your product will help manufacturers save on cost; if it is less environmentally friendly or sustainable, a new product won’t get through the door in the first place.

The good news is that flexible and printed electronics does have a good story to tell when it comes to sustainability. In many cases, a flexible and printed electronics product requires less resources and energy to produce. Many flexible and/or printed electronics devices are produced using additive manufacturing, which is designed to create less waste. In many cases, the incumbent technology, such as silicon-based electronics, are harder to recycle.

In “Sustainability and Flexible and Printed Electronics,” which begins on page 14, industry leaders from a variety of segments offer their perspectives on this topic.

In some cases, the advantages are clear. Smart flexible and/or printed environmental sensors can help reduce energy usage in a building, for example. Organic photovoltaics are designed to reduce the impact of energy production while not using heavy metals. Some flexible batteries can be recharged.

This doesn’t mean that flexible and printed electronics can rely on just being better than competing technologies. Life cycle analysis must be determined to figure out how products are reused or recycled. Substrate selection needs to be looked at closely.

There are many factors in play when one discusses sustainability, and there are very few industries that can say they completely meet every sustainable measure. Flexible and printed electronics offer many benefits, and industry leaders are always working on developing better solutions.