What Is EPA's Design for the
Environment Program?
EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE)
Program works in partnership with a broad
range of stakeholders to reduce risk to
people and the environment by preventing
pollution. Partnerships focus on industries
that combine the potential for chemical risk
reduction with a strong motivation to make
lasting, positive changes. DfE convenes
partners, including industry representatives
and environmental groups, who develop
goals and guide the work of the
partnership.
As incentives for participation and driving
change, DfE offers unique technical tools,
methodologies, and expertise. Partnerships
evaluate the human health and
environmental risks, performance, and cost
of traditional and alternative technologies,
materials, and processes.
DfE has formed partnerships with a range of
industries including:
Auto refinishing
Chemical product formulators
Electronics
Printed wiring board manufacturing
Lead-free solder
Computer displays
Furniture
Garment and textile care
Industrial and institutional laundry
Printing
Wire and cable
US. ERA
Lead-Free Solder Partnership
Solders in Electronics: A
Life-Cycle Assessment
Why Did the Partnership Evaluate Solders?
Solder composed of tin and lead is 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 I I
solders and switch to lead-free alternatives. Such a switch will require
significant capital expenditures and may 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 alternatives to tin-lead (SnPb) solder.
Approximately 176 million pounds of tin-lead solder was used
worldwide in 2002. Lead, a chemical known to be toxic, can be
released into the air and groundwater throughout its life cycle, from
mining and use to 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 led to initiatives by several nations
(e.g., European Union and Japan) to mandate or encourage the
electronics industry to replace lead solder with lead-free alternatives.
Industry experts estimate that U.S. industry could lose approximately
$240 billion over only three years if the United States 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.
What Were the Partnership's Goals?
To address the information gap on the impacts of leaded and lead-free
solders, EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) Program entered into
a voluntary partnership with representatives of the electronics industry
August 2005
www.epa.gov/dfe
EPA 744-F-05-003
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and other interested parties to evaluate the life-cycle
environmental impacts of tin-lead solder and four
alternative lead-free solder compositions.
Project partners included electronics manufacturers and
assemblers, trade associations (the Electronic Industries
Alliance and 1PCAssociation Connecting Electronics
Industries), academic and research organizations (e.g.,
University of Tennessee), and public interest groups.
Contributing industry partners included Agilent, Cookson
Electronics, Delphi Delco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel,
Pitney Bowes, Rockwell Collins, Sematech, and Thomson
Multimedia.
Specific goals of the project included:
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 leachability of lead-free solders and
their potential environmental effects.
What Solders Were Evaluated by the
Partnership?
The partnership examined life-cycle impacts of tin-lead
solder and the following lead-free solders:
95.5% tin, 3.9% silver, and 0.6% copper;
57.0% bismuth, 42.0% tin, and 1.0% silver;
96.0% tin, 2.5% silver, 1.0% bismuth, and 0.5%
copper; and
99.2% tin and 0.8% copper.
These solder alternatives were selected by the industry
partners because they have shown promising
performance as substitutes for tin-lead solder. Solders
were evaluated in both paste form, used in "reflow"
soldering, and bar form, used in "wave" soldering.
Wave soldering is used mostly in low-tech, low-cost
applications, and reflow soldering is usually used for
higher-tech applications. Using a life-cycle assessment
(LCA) approach, the study has generated data to help
manufacturers, users, and suppliers of solder incorporate
environmental considerations into their decision-making
processes.
What Were the Project's Results?
A life-cycle assesment 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; and end-of-life
disposition.
The LCA results can be used by industry to select lead-
free solders that work well for reflow or wave
soldering applications and that may have fewer impacts
on public health and the environment.
For paste solders, bismuth/tin/silver had the lowest
(best) impact scores among the lead-free
alternatives in every category except
non-renewable resource consumption.
For bar solders, when only lead-free solders were
considered, the tin/copper alternative had the
lowest (best) scores.
Three major contributors to overall life-cycle
impacts include energy consumption during solder
application, silver mining and extraction for
silver-bearing alloys, and potential leachate from
landfilling the SnPb alloy.
A detailed discussion and presentation of the results can
be found at www.epa.gov/dfe.
How Can I Get More Information?
To learn more about the DfE Program or the Lead-Free
Solder Partnership, or to obtain an electronic version of
this fact sheet (document #EPA 744-F-05-003), visit the
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics' DfE Program
Web site: www.epa.gov/dfe.
To obtain hard copies of DfE Program technical reports,
pollution prevention case studies, and project
summaries, contact:
National Service Center for Environmental Publications
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Phone: (513) 489-8190, (800) 490-9198
Fax: (513) 489-8695
E-mail: ncepimal@one.net
EPA 744-F-05-003
www.epa.gov/dfe
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