"Soluboard": A sustainable and functional printed circuit board for material circularity in electronics industries

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are essential components of modern electronic devices, providing mechanical support and electrical connections through conductive pathways. Driven by growing demand for consumer electronics, emerging technologies, advances in artificial intelligence (AI), the global PCB market was valued at $91.79 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $152.46 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.8%. Most PCBs use glass-epoxy composites containing high levels of flame retardants, which are difficult to recycle and may pose environmental risks due to toxic components. Global e-waste reached 62 Mt in 2022 with PCBs present in most electronic devices. PCBs contribute about 3–7% of total e-waste and represent around 42% of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Addressing this challenge, Soluboard, a sustainable PCB technology patented by Jiva Materials (UK), enables low-energy, recyclable, and biodegradable PCBs, allowing easy separation and recovery of electronic components at end-of-life and supporting material circularity. This talk presents the properties of Soluboard, demonstrating recyclability, improved environmental performance through life-cycle-assessment (LCA) compared with conventional materials. It also highlights results from commercial trials and product implementation. The presentation discusses Soluboard’s low-energy recycling process, reuse of recovered materials, reducing e-waste, and future challenges in sustainable PCB development.