Environmental and economic implications of a shift to halogen‐free printed wiring boards

Purpose To present the outcome from one case study in the EU project grEEEn (Cost Management System for greening Electrical and Electronic Equipment). The study addressed the material shift in printed wiring boards (PWBs), from the traditional FR4 material containing halogenated flame retardants to halogen‐free FR4 materials. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents by way of introduction the grEEEn method. From the product, process and scenario modelling the results from the analysis of cost, environmental profile and legal compliance are presented and discussed. Findings It was found that the shift to the halogen‐free material leads to a slight increase in environmental burden. However, the shift to a halogen‐free material could mean that toxic substances are eliminated or reduced resulting in an overall improvement of the environmental performance. The shift causes an increase in cost ranging between nearly zero and 10 ∈ per PWB panel. Originality/value The paper presents results from the first study on the shift from FR4 material containing halogenated flame retardants to halogen‐free FR4 materials and comprises an analysis of the economic, environmental and legislative implications.