Towards Sustainable Electronics: Unveiling the Nexus of Circular Economy, Global Policies and Industry Impacts

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive literature review on sustainability in electronics technology. The paper focuses on three key areas - 1) a comparison of global sustainability policies and initiatives (for example - the EU Green Deal, Paris Agreement, the concept of Industry, 2) the circular economy, and 3) an assessment of barriers and potential benefits to industry based on the findings. As a practical contribution, the paper also includes an evaluation of a questionnaire survey conducted in cooperation with 22 companies from the electronics manufacturing sector, which focused on the implementation of measures related to the requirements of the EU Green Deal and the Industry 4.0 concept. The results of the survey show that most of the companies surveyed are not yet dealing with this issue, mainly for financial reasons.