United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Pollution Prevention
and Toxics
(7406)
EPA744-F-95-001
May 1995
xvEPA
Design for the Environment
Printed Wiring Board Project
Making the Connection
What Is Design for the
Environment?
EPA's Design for the Environment
(DIE) Program is a voluntary initia-
tive that forges partnerships with
many stakeholder groups in an
effort to:
• Incorporate environmental con-
cerns into the traditional
decision-making parameters of
the business world: cost and
performance.
• Build incentives for behavior
change to encourage continuous
environmental improvement.
To accomplish these goals, the
program utilizes EPA expertise and
leadership to evaluate the environ-
mental and human health risks,
performance, and cost trade-offs
between traditional and alternative
technologies. DfE disseminates
information on its work to all inter-
ested parties and also assists
businesses in implementing new
technologies identified through the
program.
The program currently has cooper-
ative partnerships with:
• Industry
• Government purchasing
authorities
• Professional institutions
•Academia
• Environmental and public interest
groups
Why IS EPA
ufith tha
Wlin me
Panted wiring board (PWB) is
building block of the clectron-
ics mdustry> It is ^ underlying
PWB Industry? link between semiconductors,
computer chips, and other electronic circuitry. PWBs are,
therefore, an irreplaceable part of many "high-tech" products in the elec-
tronics, defense, and automotive industries. The manufacture of PWBs,
however, requires substantial amounts of water and energy, and some
toxic chemicals that may pose potential environmental and health risks.
Because the PWB industry is changing rapidly, opportunities abound to
integrate environmental objectives into emerging production processes
and technologies. The industry has already committed to making pollu-
tion prevention a priority. However, many PWB manufacturers are small
businesses that cannot afford expensive environmental analyses and subse-
quent redesign of their processes. To facilitate the evaluation and imple-
mentation of alternative materials, processes, and technologies that reduce
both environmental risks and production costs, EPA has entered into a
partnership with the PWB industry through its Design for the
Environment (DfE) Program.
HOW Did the m March 1993, the industry research consortium,
PWB Protect Grt Microelectronics and Computer Technology
ot* .10 Corporation (MCC), released an industry-led study
Started? entitled Environmental Consciousness: A Strategic
Competitive Issue for the Electronics Industry. In this groundbreaking
study, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE), and forty industry partners performed a
collaborative life cycle assessment of a computer workstation, focusing
on the manufacturing aspects of the life cycle. The study recognized that
wet chemical processes, such as those used in PWB fabrication, are a sig-
nificant source of hazardous waste and consume large amounts of water
and energy. The potential for improvement in these areas led EPA's DfE
Program to forge working partnerships with the Institute for Intercon-
necting and Packaging Electronic Circuits (IPC), individual PWB manufac-
turers and suppliers, research institutions such as MCC and the
University of Tennessee's Center for Clean Products and Clean
Technologies, and public interest organizations.
What DOCS the One immediate goal of the PWB project is to culti-
Prffiiect Mean for vate anc^ exPaQd existing partnerships to foster more
rrujeui medii icr Qpen an(j act^ve participation on environmental
the Industry? issues confronting the industry. A second short-term
goal is to generate and disseminate information on viable pollution pre-
vention alternatives so that the industry can begin to explore cleaner
manufacturing methods.
ffTiRecycled/Recyclable. Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.
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Over die long term, the project seeks to effect behav-
ior change to improve the competitiveness and envi-
ronmental performance of the PWB industry. Toward
this end, the DfE Project Team, working closely with
IPC's Environmental, Health, and Safety Committee,
will do the following:
• Evaluate and develop technical information on
pollution prevention technologies that reduce
compliance costs, environmental releases, risks to
human health, and chemical and natural resource
use.
• Identify barriers to pollution prevention through
the development of industry and regulatory
profiles.
• Increase the international competitiveness of the
PWB industry through enhanced efficiency and
streamlined operations—two common by-products
of pollution prevention.
• Facilitate technology transfer among PWB compa-
nies to avoid duplication of effort and to cultivate
the use of alternatives.
What Type of P^'8 work witb-1*16 PWB
urnvir ir* Dninn industry and other stakeholders
WOfK IS HEing is conducted within three
Conducted by the project areas: technical studies,
Project Team? communication, and
implementation.
Technical Studies
The DfE Technical Workgroup recently mapped out
the major steps in PWB fabrication and chose four .
major functional areas, each of which includes several
process steps, for further evaluation. The Workgroup
then identified the chemicals used in existing and
emerging process alternatives for each of the function-
al areas, and conducted a preliminary assessment of
environmental and human health risks associated
with each area.
The DfE Project Team selected one of these function-
al areas—making holes conductive—for detailed
analysis in a Cleaner Technologies Substitutes
Assessment (CTSA) to be conducted by EPA and the
University of Tennessee. A CTSA is a tool used to
evaluate die cost, performance, and environmental
and healdi risks of individual materials, processes, and
technologies.
As part of die CTSA, die effectiveness of alternative
technologies will be tested in "real-world" settings.
These tests will provide crucial information about die
cost and performance of die alternatives under vari-
ous conditions. The information in die CTSA and
odier project documents will allow PWB industry
decision-makers to evaluate dieir existing processes
and practices and identify cost-effective pollution pre-
vention options that perform well. The PWB CTSA is
expected to be completed in 1996.
Industry partners have also conducted a survey to
obtain information about die current use of pollution
prevention technologies in die PWB industry. Survey
results are being compiled into a report for use in the
CTSA and by companies seeking pollution prevention
options. The PWB Project Team is also compiling
information on markets, products, and technology
trends that will help in assessing die costs and poten-
tial markets associated with existing and emerging
technologies.
Communication Efforts
Throughout die project, EPA and die project stake-
holders will conduct outreach activities to promote
awareness of die project and to generate interest in
die project's technical products. A Communications
Workgroup has been formed to develop an outreach
strategy for die project, which includes giving presen-
tations at PWB trade shows, writing articles for the
PWB trade press, distributing DfE information prod-
ucts at boodi exhibits, and creating odier information
products. The Communications Workgroup is also
developing pollution prevention case studies. These
case studies provide practical information on substi-
tute materials, processes, technologies, and work
practices, based on die experiences of individual
industry practitioners who have successfully used pol-
lution prevention alternatives at dieir facilities. Later
case studies will be based on information contained in
die CTSA.
Implementation Efforts .
Later in die project, an Implementation Workgroup '
will be established to provide assistance and incentives
for individual PWB manufacturers. The Workgroup
will help diese manufacturers implement alternatives
identified in die CTSA as having low environmental
risk, being cost-effective, and being able to perform as
required. The Workgroup may consider conducting
additional demonstration projects and workshops.
Videotapes and odier training materials may also be
developed to teach PWB manufacturers how to imple-
ment new technologies. In addition, die Workgroup
may create incentives for implementing new technolo-
gies, such as an award or certification program.
How Can I Get More Information?
To learn more about EPA's Design for die
Environment Program or Printed Wiring Board
Project, contact:
EPA's Pollution Prevention Information
Clearinghouse (PPIC)
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
401 M Street, S.W. (3404)
Washington, DC 20460
Tel: 202 260-1023
Fax: 202 260-0178
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