Sustainability as a Competitive Edge: Survey Insights & IPC’s New Program to Support the Electronics Industry

Mar 18, 2025

by Dr. Kelly Scanlon, IPC Lead Sustainability Strategist

 

The electronics industry holds a dual responsibility: to create products that drive sustainable solutions to urgent global challenges and to ensure that manufacturing processes and materials minimize harm to human health and the environment. As the leading global electronics association, IPC recently surveyed the electronics industry to assess current perspectives on these commitments.

 

The survey results confirm that companies are motivated and optimistic, showing momentum in the industry.

 

  • The industry sees sustainability as a competitive advantage, with customers, regulators, investors and shareholders coming out as the top influencers of companies’ sustainability efforts.

  • Sustainability remains a priority – 59% of survey respondents said they expect their companies to increase sustainability efforts in 2025, despite political headwinds.

  • Yet, industry members said they recognize that they have challenges. Respondents emphasized the need for greater industry-wide interaction, sharing of best practices, and access to resources to identify and overcome barriers.

 

IPC is uniquely positioned to issue this survey given the breadth of the association’s membership – more than 3,000 companies – and the depth, as almost all electronics industry value chain segments are represented. We take the survey findings as input to shape and guide our work on sustainability to best support the industry and accelerate progress. That’s why I am thrilled to announce the launch of Evolve, IPC’s new program to power industry-wide sustainability.

 

Evolve builds on our past work on sustainability. It engages and empowers the industry, providing a platform for collaboration, reliable resources, and standards, intelligence, and opportunities for action.

 

As IPC’s lead sustainability strategist, I get to interact with industry leaders and learn from them what is most pressing and gather their insights as to what solutions we can provide that will help them continuously and conscientiously keep at it. I am regularly reminded of the cool things happening around new materials, more efficient manufacturing processes, new products, and new ways to reclaim and remanufacture electronics.

 

Evolve is already home to many resources for the industry right now. We are adding more in 2025 to help make progress faster.

  • Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) Toolkit: This prepares companies to evaluate financial and non-financial sustainability impacts—essential for meeting regulatory obligations. The DMA White Paper forms the foundation, outlining the process with electronics industry examples. Throughout 2025, we will add resources to the DMA Toolkit including Context Report templates, DMA Project Plans, and IRO Scoring Templates, complemented by a webinar series explaining these tools and industry best practices.

  • Guidance for greenhouse gas emissions reporting: GHG emissions represent a material topic for the electronics industry. Evolve will guide companies on Scope 3 GHG reporting obligations, helping them navigate the complex process of accounting for direct and indirect emissions from upstream and downstream activities. IPC is partnering with another electronics association to provide Scope 3 Category 1 (Purchased Goods and Services) guidance, with publication expected by end of 2025.

  • Resources for safer alternatives: The electronics industry uses potentially hazardous chemicals in manufacturing processes and products that can impact worker health and safety. Evolve helps identify safer alternatives for critical chemicals like flame retardants and PFAS, providing guidance for downstream users. IPC partnered with ChemFORWARD for a December 2024 webinar on optimizing cleaning products. We are now collaborating with the Clean Electronics Production Network to publish a Guide to Safer Alternatives in Electronics Manufacturing in Q1 2025, followed by an explanatory webinar with industry best practices planned for Q2 2025.

  • Best practices on how to circularize electronics: Ecodesign obligations require increased focus on design considerations that reduce environmental impacts throughout product lifecycles. Evolve is a circularity resource hub featuring industry best practices and a forthcoming compendium of insights on circularity challenges and solutions, with expected publication in Q2 2025.

  • Standards to support sustainability: Industry stakeholders, in collaboration with IPC, are leading the revision of existing IPC standards and creating new ones to better address relevant sustainability-related topics and help the industry. Evolve houses information about the suite of standards and a call for action to get involved with standards development.

  • Policy updates to help navigate obligations. Evolve is going to host educational webinars and events on evolving policies with potential impact on the industry. We are the reliable source for policy information. Through Evolve, we’re also calling on industry to get involved with advocacy and are looking forward to connecting.

I’m eager for IPC to be a part of the evolution, taking the accelerated path towards a sustainable future for all members of the electronics industry. As a sustainability scientist, and a lifelong sustainability enthusiast, I know that the electronics industry will benefit from having Evolve as a point of unity for continuous reinvention and renewal and that means that the industry will do more for the greater good.