Unveiling Innovation Potential of Circular Approaches in Automotive Electronics and Beyond

Project Information

UNICORN

Grant agreement ID: 101070169

DOI

10.3030/101070169

Project closed

EC signature date 23 June 2022

Start date 1 September 2022

End date 31 August 2025

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 4 936 017,25

EU contribution

€ 4 936 017,25

Coordinated by

VDI/VDE INNOVATION + TECHNIK GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - UNICORN (Unveiling Innovation Potential of Circular Approaches in Automotive Electronics and Beyond)

Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In March 2021, the European Commission’s updated Industrial Strategy emphasised accelerating the green and digital transition to support post-pandemic recovery and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. In this context, the European Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy set the objective of reducing transport-related greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2050, with functional electronics identified as a key enabler of this twin transition.

The UNICORN project, now completed, contributed to these policy objectives by supporting the development of functional electronics solutions enabling the automotive industry’s transition towards a circular economy. The project addressed systemic challenges across the automotive electronics value chain, from materials and manufacturing processes to system integration, validation and end-of-life considerations. UNICORN’s objectives focused on demonstrating the capability to design, develop and validate innovative green and circular technologies for automotive electronics, including lightweight materials, resource-efficient processes, circular design approaches and validation under relevant industrial conditions.

The project further aimed to strengthen European leadership in circularity-driven functional integration of electronics for automotive applications. This included the development of a science-based methodology to assess the net impact of functional electronics integration, the provision of eco-design guidelines to support decision-making, and the formulation of recommendations contributing to a supportive regulatory framework.

Finally, UNICORN sought to facilitate the transfer of electronics technologies and processes beyond the automotive sector, by engaging stakeholders from electronics, automotive and circular economy communities and fostering cross-sector dialogue. Through this approach, UNICORN contributed to increasing the uptake potential of functional electronics-based solutions supporting a green and circular economy.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Over its full duration, UNICORN achieved its objectives through the development and validation of four industrial use cases (battery casing, dashboard, seat & door system, and tyre-related system), each resulting in a fully functional demonstrator. Two successive generations of demonstrators (GEN1 and GEN2) were designed, manufactured and validated under relevant industrial conditions, integrating printed and flexible electronics with increased levels of circularity.

Across all use cases, the project addressed circularity along four complementary pathways: decarbonisation and energy efficiency, materials circularity and recyclability, usage optimisation, and lifetime extension. Achievements include the substitution of conventional materials with bio-based and recycled alternatives, the development of designs enabling dismantling and higher-order circularity strategies (reuse, repair, recycling), and the integration of electronic functionalities supporting predictive maintenance and extended product use.

Beyond the technical developments, UNICORN established itself as a recognised contributor to European and national innovation ecosystems in electronics, automotive and circular economy. The project actively engaged with platforms and networks such as EPoSS, OE-A, PrintoCent, AFELIM, CLEPA, ERTRAC, and clusters of projects on sustainable electronics. This holistic approach, combining technological progress with socio-economic considerations, reinforced the relevance of UNICORN’s results and opened pathways for application beyond the automotive sector.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

UNICORN delivered results that go beyond the state of the art by combining system-level demonstrators, novel materials and processes, and methodological advances for sustainability assessment. A key outcome is the provision of validated technologies and design approaches enabling higher levels of circularity in electronic systems without compromising functional performance.

The project also delivered cross-use-case findings relevant to the wider electronics community, including insights into the use of silver- and copper-based conductive inks, trade-offs between bio-based and recycled plastic substrates, the potential of reversible adhesives to enable repair and recycling, and the positive impact of lightweight architectures (e.g. flat cables) on energy consumption.

UNICORN defined a clear pathway to impact through engagement with multiple target groups across research, education, industry and policy-making, enabling:
- access to guidance and methodologies for implementing circularity in electronic design and systems;
- access to new knowledge, skills and validated technologies supporting the green and digital transition;
- opportunities for exploitation, licensing and follow-up research, including co-creation and co-design approaches;
- increased visibility and recognition for organisations strengthening their Research and Innovation Responsibility.

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