June 2002
Design for the Environment
Lead-Free Solder Partnership
                     sr
             U.S.EPA
What Is Design for the
Environment?
EPA's Design for the Environment
(DfE) Program is a voluntary initiative
that forms partnerships with a variety of
stakeholder groups in an effort to
• encourage businesses to incorporate
  environmental concerns, in addition to
  the traditional criteria of cost and
  performance, into their decisions, and
• facilitate continuous environmental
  improvement through effective
  behavior changes.
To accomplish these goals, the program
uses EPA's expertise and leadership to
evaluate the human health and
environmental risks,  performance, and
cost of traditional and alternative
technologies, materials, and processes.
DfE disseminates information on its
work to all interested parties and helps
businesses implement cleaner
alternatives identified through the
program. The program has formed
cooperative partnerships with the
following industries:
• Printed wiring board
• Computer display
• Printing
• Garment and textile care
• Auto refinishing
• Industrial/institutional laundry
• Adhesives
• Chemical formulators
                                     Assessing  Life-Cycle  Impacts
                                     in  the Electronics  Industry
 Why Is the
 Partnership
 Evaluating
 Solders?
                      Solder comprised
                      of tin and lead is
                      currently a
                      fundamental
                      material joining
electronic components to circuit boards in the
assembly of almost every type of electronic
product. The electronics industry, however, is
facing significant international legislative and
market pressures to phase out the use of tin-
lead solders and switch to lead-free alternatives. Such a switch will
require dramatic capital expenditures and could have a broad impact on
public health and the environment. The electronics industry, as well as
public interest and governmental organizations, are concerned about the
lack of research to date on the potential environmental effects of the
various alternatives to lead-based solder.
Worldwide, over 20 million pounds of tin-lead solder are used annually.
Lead, a chemical known to be toxic, can be released into the air and
groundwater throughout its life cycle, in processes such as mining, use,
waste treatment, and disposal. Once in the environment, lead is persistent
(as are all metals) and bioaccumulates in the food chain.
Concerns about potential risks have lead to initiatives by several nations
to mandate or encourage the electronics industry to replace lead solder
with lead-free alternatives. For example, Europe and Japan have pending
restrictions on the use of lead. Industry experts estimate that U.S.
industry could lose approximately  $240 billion over only three years if
the U.S. does not respond to these  initiatives quickly and competitively
by identifying viable alternative solders that perform well, are cost
effective, and pose fewer environmental risks.
Virtually all research about potential substitutes for lead in solder,
however, has focused strictly on performance. Although U.S. industry
needs to move ahead with alternative products to remain competitive,
information about life-cycle impacts and risks of the alternatives is
lacking. This has raised concerns for both industry and the public about
the possible future business and environmental risks of making a
wholesale switch from lead to other metals, without first understanding
their life-cycle environmental impacts.
                                               Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber

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   What Are the     To address the
   Partnership's     jnformation ^ on the
   _   . ^             impacts of leaded and
           '              lead-free solders, EPA's
                         Design for the
 Environment (DfE) Program has entered into a
 voluntary partnership with representatives of the
 electronics industry and other interested parties to
 evaluate the life-cycle environmental impacts of tin-
 lead solder and three promising lead-free solder
 compositions.
 Project partners include electronics manufacturers
 and assemblers, trade associations (the Electronic
 Industries Alliance and IPC—Association
 Connecting Electronic Industries), academic and
 research organizations (e.g., University of
 Tennessee), and public interest groups (e.g., Silicon
 Valley Toxics Coalition). The current list of
 contributing industry partners includes: Agilent,
 Cookson Electronics, Delphi Delco, Hewlett-
 Packard, IBM, Intel, Pitney Bowes, Rockwell
 Collins, Sematech, and Thomson Multimedia.
 Additional participants are welcome.
 Specific goals of the project include:
     •   evaluating the environmental impacts of
         tin/lead solder and selected lead-free
         alternative solders,
     •   evaluating the effects of lead-free solders
         on recycling and reclamation at the end of
         the electronic product life-cycle, and
     »   assessing the teachability of lead-free
         solders and their potential environmental
         effects.
What Work Is Being   The partnership is
Conducted by the      examining life-cycle
Partnership?            impacts of tin-lead
                             solder and the
 following lead-free solders:
     »   99.3% tin and 0.7% copper
     «   95.5% tin, 4.0% silver, and 0.5% copper
     •   92.3% tin, 3.4% silver, 1.0% copper, and
         3.3% bismuth
These specific alternatives were selected by the
industry partners because they have shown
promising performance as substitutes for tin-lead
solder.

Using a life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach, the
study will generate data to help manufacturers,
users, and suppliers of solder to incorporate
environmental considerations into their decision-
making processes. An LCA examines the full life
cycle of a product, and estimates environmental
impacts from each of the following life cycle stages:

    •   Raw material extraction or acquisition and
        material processing

    •   Solder manufacture

    •   Solder application

    •   End-of-life disposition

The project will generate information that can be
used by the electronics industry to select lead-free
solders that work well for a given application, and
that may have fewer impacts on public health and
the environment. The LCA may also identify areas
that need further investigation, and help
governmental organizations to better manage their
electronics purchasing and end-of-life disposition.
 Project
 Milestones
Key milestones in the DfE
Lead-Free Solder Partnership
include:
        Complete project scoping: January 2002
        Complete draft LCA: April 2003
        Publicize results: July — December 2003
 How Can I Get More Information?
 To learn more about the DfE Program or the Lead-Free
 Solder Partnership, contact:
     Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (7407-M)
     1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
     Washington, DC 20460
     Telephone: 202 566-0799   Fax: 202 566-0810
     E-mail: ppic@epa.gov
 You can also get more information about the DfE Program,
 including electronic or hard copies of this fact sheet
 (document #EPA 744-F-02-007) by visiting the Office of
 Pollution Prevention and Toxics' DfE website at:
 www.epa.gov/dfe

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