The Sustain-a-Print (SaP) project, funded under Horizon Europe, addresses the urgent need for sustainable solutions in electronics. Aligning with the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan, SaP aims to reduce the environmental impact of electronics manufacturing and waste through innovative printed electronics (PE). The project responds to the rapid growth of electronic waste, increasing by 2% annually, with less than 40% currently recycled within the EU. Resource scarcity and environmental degradation necessitate new designs prioritizing reuse, repair, and high-quality recycling.
SaP’s goal is to embed sustainability into each stage of the PE lifecycle, including material selection, processing, assembly, and end-of-life (EoL) management. The project targets the replacement of fossil-based materials with recycled, bio-based, and biodegradable alternatives, supporting the EU's Bioeconomy Action Plan.
Main Objectives and Ambition
SaP is structured around four main objectives:
1. Reuse and Recycling of PE Materials: Develop methods for reusing and recycling valuable PE materials, ensuring they meet industrial end-user (IEU) specifications, including isolating nanomaterials (NMs) and producing high-purity recycled metal-based precursors.
2. Sustainable Material Development: Create new sustainable materials and formulations for PE, using bio-based or recycled sources, including lignin-based conductive NMs and PLA-based substrates with enhanced properties.
3. Formulation Development: Innovate sustainable formulations for PE printing, including developing conductive inks from recycled NMs and adhesives with de-bond-on-demand properties.
4. Sustainable PE Production: Implement sustainable digital printing and assembly processes for PE, aiming to reduce material usage and curing times while ensuring product durability in harsh environments.
Pathway to Impact
SaP aims to bring sustainable PE methods and materials closer to market through demonstration models, contributing to the circular economy and sustainability in the electronics sector. Key innovations include:
• Recycling and Resynthesis: Develop scalable methods to recycle and reuse over 90% of metals used in PE, reducing reliance on mined materials.
• Biodegradable and Recyclable Materials: Create fully biodegradable and recyclable PE products, validated through industrial end-user cases like membrane switches and electrochemical biosensors.
• Advanced Digital Printing: Demonstrate digital printing technologies that reduce material usage by 30% and curing times by 20%, enhancing production efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Societal and Environmental Impact
SaP’s innovations are expected to significantly reduce CO2 emissions associated with PE production by using recycled and biodegradable materials. The project’s holistic approach to sustainability will benefit the environment and provide economic advantages by reducing production costs and dependency on imported raw materials. The adoption of SaP’s solutions by the EU electronics industry will reinforce European leadership in sustainable electronics and contribute to climate neutrality.
