Electronic manufacturing: Carbon assembly line

Context

Your company makes smartphones and other high-performance electronics. Manufacturing is energy-intensive and heavily reliant on fossil fuels, making it a major emitter of CO₂. Cleaner technologies exist, but switching requires large upfront costs and may slow production.

Dilemma

Do you:
A) Invest in cleaner, low-emission manufacturing now, accepting higher costs and slower growth.
B) Continue current high-emission practices to maintain competitiveness and profits.

Summary

The electronics manufacturing sector can reduce emissions through several strategies. Fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-GHGs) can be mitigated via remote chamber cleaning, gas replacement with lower-GWP alternatives, process optimization, and abatement systems (thermal, catalytic, or plasma). Centralized abatement has proven effective in flat panel display production. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) and heat transfer fluid (HTF) emissions can be reduced through abatement and improved leak prevention. Industry measures include retiring older fabrication plants, optimizing gas use, adopting cleaner chemistries, and upgrading to low-emission tools. Only ~35% of U.S. facilities currently use abatement, indicating significant potential for further emission cuts through wider adoption of these technologies and practices.

Resources:

• https://thesustainabilitycooperative.net/2022/03/24/are-electronics-bad-for-the-environment/
• https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2018-10/documents/electronics_manufacturing_2017_industrial_profile.pdf