Environmental effects 111.1 Introduction 111.2 Industrial Ecology 111.3 Design for Environment 111.4 Environmental Implications for the Electronics naus Karen blades and 111.5 Emerging Technology Braden Allenby Integrated Circuits. Printed wiring boards 111.6 Tools and Strategies for Environmental Design National Laboratory Design Tools· Design Strategies· Conclusion Acknowledgements. Disclaimer 111.1 Introduction The importance of electronics technology for consumers, and the electronics sector for the global economy, is already substantial and continues to grow rapidly. Such growth and innovation coupled with the global concerns for the environment and the need to better manage the resources of the earth pose many challenges for the electronics industry. While thought of as a"clean"industry, the technological advances made by the industry creates a significant demand on the earths resources. As an example, the amount of water required in the production of semiconductors, the engines that motor most of today's electronic gadgets, is enormous-about 2000 gallons to process a single silicon wafer. Building silicon chips requires the use of highly toxic materials, albeit in relatively low volumes. Similarly, printed wiring boards present in most electronic products and produced in high volume use large amounts of solvents or gases which are either health hazards, ozone depleting, or contribute to the greenhouse effect and contain lead solder. The challenge for the industry is to continue the innovation that delivers the products and services that people want yet find creative solutions to minimize environm nental impact, enhance competitiveness, and address regulatory issues without impacting quality, productivity, or cost; in other words, to become an industry that is more "eco-efficient. Eco-efficiency is reached by the delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and support a high quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity, to a level at least in line with the earths estimated carrying capacity Like sustainable development, a concept popularized by the Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, the notion of eco-efficiency requires a fundamental shift in the way environment is considered in industrial activity. Sustainable development-development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability f future generations to meet their own needs"[World Commission on Environment and Development, 9871-contemplates the integration of environmental, economic, and technological considerations to achieve continued human and economic development within the biological and physical constraints of the planet. Both eco-efficiency and sustainable development provide a useful direction, yet they prove difficult to operationalize and cannot guide technology development. Thus, the theoretical foundations for integrating technology and environment throughout the global economy are being provided by a new, multidisciplinary field known as c 2000 by CRC Press LLC© 2000 by CRC Press LLC 111 Environmental Effects 111.1 Introduction 111.2 Industrial Ecology 111.3 Design for Environment 111.4 Environmental Implications for the Electronics Industry 111.5 Emerging Technology Integrated Circuits • Printed Wiring Boards 111.6 Tools and Strategies for Environmental Design Design Tools • Design Strategies • Conclusion • Acknowledgements • Disclaimer 111.1 Introduction The importance of electronics technology for consumers, and the electronics sector for the global economy, is already substantial and continues to grow rapidly. Such growth and innovation coupled with the global concerns for the environment and the need to better manage the resources of the earth pose many challenges for the electronics industry. While thought of as a “clean” industry, the technological advances made by the industry creates a significant demand on the earth’s resources. As an example, the amount of water required in the production of semiconductors, the engines that motor most of today’s electronic gadgets, is enormous—about 2000 gallons to process a single silicon wafer. Building silicon chips requires the use of highly toxic materials, albeit in relatively low volumes. Similarly, printed wiring boards present in most electronic products and produced in high volume use large amounts of solvents or gases which are either health hazards, ozone depleting, or contribute to the greenhouse effect and contain lead solder. The challenge for the industry is to continue the innovation that delivers the products and services that people want yet find creative solutions to minimize the environmental impact, enhance competitiveness, and address regulatory issues without impacting quality, productivity, or cost; in other words, to become an industry that is more “eco-efficient”. Eco-efficiency is reached by the delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and support a high quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity, to a level at least in line with the earth’s estimated carrying capacity. Like sustainable development, a concept popularized by the Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, the notion of eco-efficiency requires a fundamental shift in the way environment is considered in industrial activity. Sustainable development—“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” [World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987]—contemplates the integration of environmental, economic, and technological considerations to achieve continued human and economic development within the biological and physical constraints of the planet. Both eco-efficiency and sustainable development provide a useful direction, yet they prove difficult to operationalize and cannot guide technology development. Thus, the theoretical foundations for integrating technology and environment throughout the global economy are being provided by a new, multidisciplinary field known as “industrial ecology”. Karen Blades and Braden Allenby Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory