A large amount of circuit boards become electronic waste worldwide each year. Many of those boards are built on FR4, a glass fiber and epoxy laminate that is difficult to recover and reuse. PCB manufacturing also consumes metals, energy, and water, making waste reduction and more efficient use of resources practical priorities for the industry.
To address this, the industry is focusing on three key areas: the development of new materials, life cycle assessment (LCA), and end-of-life product management. In this blog post, we will focus on the new, more sustainable, materials that are being developed.
Sustainable materials: Recyclad and BioClad
The Recyclad range is the first family of materials designed for circularity, enabling end-of-life recycling into CEM-1-type materials and incorporating partially bio-based resins. The BioClad range takes this further with a high proportion of bio-based resins (up to 50%) and 100% recycled copper, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. Recyclad1G and BioClad 1 address different parts of the environmental challenge. Recyclad1G is designed to make it easier to recover materials from a PCB at the end of its life. BioClad 1 focuses on reducing reliance on petroleum-based resin when the laminate is made. Both are interesting because they are being developed with PCB performance in mind.
| Features | Recyclad 1G | BioClad 1 |
| Tg °C (DSC) | 153 °C | 154°C |
| Td | 370 °C | 345°C |
| T288°C | 60 min | 20 min |
| CTE Z Before Tg | 35ppm/°C | 37ppm/°C |
| CTE Z After Tg | 240ppm/°C | 237ppm/°C |
| CTE Z (50-260 °C) | 2,80% | 2,80% |
| Dk (1 GHz) | 4,5 | 4,7 |
| DF (1 GHz) | 0,01 | 0,012 |
| CTI | PLC 1: 400V through 599V | PLC 0: 600V and greater |
| Water Absorption | 0,1 | 0,08 |
NCAB has been testing these materials for several years, and we describe some of the test outcomes in another blog post: The future of sustainable PCBs: Moving towards circularity.
Comparison with FR-4
FR-4, the benchmark material in the PCB industry, is based on fossil-derived epoxy resins and woven glass fibers, which limit its recyclability and contribute to its environmental footprint. Recycled materials like Recyclad and BioClad have performance characteristics similar to FR-4, particularly in terms of glass transition temperature (Tg), mechanical properties, and compatibility with existing manufacturing processes.
At this stage, it is still too early to make a complete comparison between these materials and conventional FR4. Recyclad1G has published technical data, but the information available for BioClad 1 is more limited. We also need more than laminate properties to judge either material. Factory processing, board reliability, cost, availability, and the environmental impact across the product’s full life all need to be considered.
The next few years should give us a better picture as more boards are built and qualified. For Recyclad1G, we also need to see how its material recovery works at scale and whether a practical recycling route is available when the boards reach end of life. That evidence will help determine where these laminates are credible alternatives to the FR4 materials we use today.
Environmental impact
The environmental benefits of these new materials come from the use of bio-based resins and recycled copper, which reduce the consumption of fossil-based raw materials and limit the extraction of new mineral resources, an activity that is particularly energy-intensive and generates greenhouse gas emissions. Optimized industrial processes further minimize the overall impact throughout the product’s life cycle.
Comparing CFP: Recyclad1G vs. normal FR-4
| Product/section | Normal FR-4 | Recyclad1G* |
| CCL 0.4 1/1 (3X7628) (with package) | 10.96 | 8.22 |
| Raw material | 8.58 | 5.89 |
| Manufacturing | 1.89 | 1.86 |
| Waste disposal | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Transportation | 0.39 | 0.37 |
Challenges and prospects
Despite their advantages, these materials still face challenges such as a lack of recycling infrastructure, costs, and industrial qualification. Collaboration between manufacturers is essential to accelerate their adoption. We are currently carrying out tests on BioClad 1 material with one of our customers in the automotive sector.
Facts about the test:
- Oven drying at 120°C for 8 hours
- Reflow test in accordance with IPC-TM-650 2.6.27 – Low Temperature Profile 230°C, two cycles
- Repair simulations (four times, SMD areas in accordance with IPC-6012F 3.10.10.2 SMD)
- X-ray inspection with visual inspection and documentation
- Thermal cycling in accordance with IPC-TM-650 2.6.7.2 (-55 °C to +125 °C with a rate of change of 10 °C/min. Hold time of 15 minutes at both high and low temperatures. 100 cycles (standard applicable to epoxy materials: IPC-4101)
- Preparation of micro-sections in accordance with IPC-TM-650 2.1.1
- Microscopic analysis in accordance with IPC-6012F and IPC-A-600M
- Visual inspection, assessment and documentation
Where do you think the next innovation of sustainable PCB materials will be?
Contact us to discuss more, or if you have any questions regarding our sustainability work.