iMaps Announcements 8/2023

On our own behalf

IMAPS Deutschland e.V. currently has around 300 members, making it the largest chapter outside the United States of America.

Our association stands for open dialog in the form of discussion rounds and regulars' tables among specialist colleagues. At annual conferences and seminars, at which we as an association are always happy to welcome all participants, detailed knowledge is gained in inter- and transdisciplinary specialist groups on specific topics and development complexes.

In order to increase the visibility of our association, to present the activities of the association and also to make the results of the activities of our members available to a broad public, we offer all members the opportunity to share their contributions from research and development.

Selection and publication will be on a first come, first served basis. This means that if you would like to inform your customers and partners about your results today, please send your contribution (ideally 2 to 3 pages with images) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We look forward to receiving your contributions today.

Your press team of IMAPS-Deutschland e.V.

Definition: Sustainability in electronics / Solderpunks association for more sustainable electronics

Foreword

At our IMAPS spring seminar on March 23, 2023, we were able to create a basis for discussion on one of the most pressing issues of the present day with regard to sustainability in electronics production in various presentations. How can we manage to make production or individual production stages sustainable and which aspects must be taken into account?

On the other hand, however, microelectronic components can be used in control and regulation technology so that resources are only consumed when necessary or can be used or reused optimally and over the long term.

For some time now, IMAPS Deutschland e.V. has maintained good relations with Solderpunks e.V. für nachhaltere Elektronik, an association dedicated to the topic of "fair electronics"(www.solderpunks.com/ueberuns/).

We have therefore decided not to withhold the following article from our members, especially as it is fully linked to the topics presented and discussed during the spring seminar. We hope you enjoy reading it.

To get in the mood for writing this text, I skimmed through a few articles in electronics journals. The search criteria for the articles were words such as "ecological, social, fair" and, of course, "sustainability". A word whose range of meaning, similar to Moore's Law, is increasing and thus sinking more and more into meaninglessness. As a reminder: the origin of the word comes from forestry: only those who fell as many trees as can grow back ensure that the forest is available for future use and retains its value in the long term.

... "Sustainability". A word whose range of meanings, like Moore's Law, is increasing and thus sinking more and more into insignificance.

Perhaps you are smiling now, as it is of course incredibly difficult to compare this definition with the electronics industry. Perhaps this is where the problem lies. Reading the articles, I was struck by the one-size-fits-all approach, which is made up of the uncritical sufficiency of current political implementations and the patting on the back of the industry, which too often believes that it has recognized the ecological and social problems and has exhausted its scope for action to such an extent. Why are acute, threatening, ecological and social problems not understood enough? Surely this is the first step towards making appropriate demands on politicians!

In the struggle for security of supply and resilience, the greatest challenge of our time is being pushed further and further into the background. Of the nine ecological limits, the most prominent is climate change!

Compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement is not a concession to ecosystems, nor is it an end in itself.

The climate catastrophe, in the face of which all other challenges are pretended challenges. It is not just another problem on the stage, alongside dependencies on China or the security of supply of critical raw materials. The climate catastrophe threatens the stage itself! If you think this statement is an exaggeration, I urge you to finally get to grips with the issue and at least read the summary of the latest IPCC report for decision-makers. Compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement is not a concession to ecosystems, nor is it an end in itself. It is a compromise that is binding under international law and is intended to curb the destruction of our human livelihoods. And this is another point where misunderstandings often arise. The 1.5 °C is already the compromise that the world's governments agreed on for a reason. Implementation is complex and therefore not just the task of politicians, but of society as a whole. The electronics industry has a special role to play as a beacon of hope for decarbonization. This is because the politically presented solutions lie in particular in the energy transition, mobility transition and digitalization transition. I feel there is a lack of reflected and critical participation here. We need to become climate-neutral as quickly as possible, not just in 2050. This requires sustainability strategies:

• Efficiency
  better production, same benefits - less energy consumption
  
  
• consistency
  Produce differently, with renewable energies or recyclable materials
  
  
• Sufficiency
  produce and consume less, limit energy and material consumption.

To end CO2 emissions as quickly as possible, we need all three strategies. I have not yet come across sufficiency in our discussions. Consistency is dominating the current discussion. We are in the middle of implementation, but far too slowly. Here is some data on the topic of recycling:

1. More than 50 million tons of electronic waste are generated worldwide
   Although China is nominally in first place worldwide with 10 million tons of electronic waste, it is far from the top position in an international comparison with 7.2 kg per inhabitant. The leader is Norway with 57 kg of electronic waste per capita, followed by the UK with 55 kg. This makes electronic waste the fastest growing waste stream in the world
   Experts predict that a total of 75 million tons of electronic waste will be generated worldwide by 2030.
   
   
2. In Germany, each person produces 20 kg of e-waste per year
   In the last 10 years, the amount of e-waste placed on the market in Germany has increased by a total of 1.1 million tons. The trend is rising and this quantity is not expected to fall significantly.
   
   
3. The recycling rate in Germany is now only 39%
   The collection rate for e-waste published by Destatis in March 2023 is only 39% for 2021, although the legal requirement is 65%. This means that the rate has fallen by a further 5% compared to the previous year. One of the main reasons why the collection rates for e-waste are so low is the low commitment of retailers to taking back old electrical appliances.
   
   
4. More than 50% of e-waste is large household appliances
   IT telecommunication devices, small electrical appliances and entertainment devices make up the rest. According to the Federal Environment Agency, the useful life of large electrical appliances was reduced by one year to 13 years between 2004 and 2012. According to the study, the proportion of appliances that had to be replaced within five years due to a defect has risen sharply from 3.5% to 8.3%.
   
   
5. 200 million cell phones lie unused in German drawers
   Extrapolated, this amounts to 50 tons of silver, almost 5 tons of gold, 1.8 tons of palladium and 650 tons of copper. To mine 650 tons of copper, you need 100,000 tons of copper ore!

I talk to great people from the electronics industry who want to be part of a change that is urgently needed. It is a mammoth task, but we are many, well educated and keen to tackle challenging tasks if they make sense. What could be more meaningful than facing up to the challenges of planetary boundaries? The traffic turnaround camp is currently taking place in Wolfsburg. I find the idea of turning the Autostadt into a traffic turnaround city very charming. There's no need to change the initials.

What could be more sensible than facing up to the challenges of planetary boundaries?

Take a look at what's going on and get involved, for example by spreading the word:

Newsletter at www.solderpunks.com.

Calendar of events

IMAPS Germany - Your association for packaging and interconnection technology

IMAPS Germany, part of the International Microelectronics and Packaging Society (IMAPS), has been the forum in Germany for all those involved in microelectronics and packaging technology since 1973. With almost 300 members, we essentially pursue three important goals:

• we connect science and practice
• we ensure the exchange of information among our members and
• we represent the point of view of our members in international committees.

Imprint

IMAPS Germany e. V.
Kleingrötzing 1, D-84494 Neumarkt-St. Veit

1st Chairman: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Schneider-Ramelow, Acting Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Treasurer
(for questions about membership and contributions):
Ernst G. M. Eggelaar, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You can find detailed contact information for the members of the Executive Board at www.imaps.de
(Executive Board)