TAIPEI -- The Taiwan Printed Circuit Association and the related TPCA Environment Foundation (TPCF) have embarked on an effort to detail the possibilities for recycling within the printed circuit supply chain and advocate for improved reuse measures.

In a session on June 28, the two groups announced the "Circular Economy Roadmap of Taiwan PCB Industry." Citing global resource depletion as a result of technology development, resource recycling has become a desperate, material issue, the firms said. In response, TPCA has commissioned the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to inventory the resource recycling condition of Taiwan’s printed circuit board industry to pinpoint the current conditions and difficulties of PCB resource recycling. The goal, says TPCA chairman Maurice Lee, is to determine the future path of the circular economy and work toward sustainable development and safety for Taiwan’s PCB industry in terms of technology, regulation and commerce.

The recycling categories and flow in relation to feedstocks, waste and production equipment are the focus of inventory under the “Circular Economy Roadmap of Taiwan PCB Industry.” The inventory showed that in the PCB process with 22 procedures, there are 48 types of waste, including 52% (25 items) of solid waste, 46% (22 items) of liquid waste, and 2% (one item) of gas waste. Among the 39 items (81%) that can be reused, only 10 items (20.8%) are actually recycled and reused within the industry. TPCA said the data suggest that many items are recycled for reuse outside the industry, and there are many difficulties to overcome before the circular economy can be realized within the industry.

In terms of technology, regulation and commerce, the “Circular Economy Roadmap of Taiwan PCB Industry” proposes three main issues: 1) raise the proportion of wastewater and waste liquid recycling, 2) increase solid waste recycling, and 3) maximize the benefits of the circulatory economy.

In addition, the roadmap lays out the circular economy in three phases. Circular Economy 3.0 in the PCB industry requires cross-sector cooperation of the industry, academia, government, and researchers; regulatory amendments; and certification, marketing and export of resource products in order to resolve global resource depletion and sustainability.

Register now for PCB West, the leading conference and exhibition for printed circuit board design! Coming Sept. 9-12 to the Santa Clara Convention Center. pcbwest.com

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