Abstract
Electronics are at the heart of the digital transformation, powering advances in healthcare, mobility, communications, and clean energy. They are also indispensable to achieving global net-zero goals, driving renewable energy, digital infrastructure, and enabling circular economy solutions.
However, the sector faces a critical paradox: while enabling progress, it also generates escalating risks. Electronics produce substantial waste, rely on scarce and geopolitically sensitive raw materials, and operate within fragile global supply chains that are difficult to regulate and vulnerable to disruption. Rising e-waste, high emissions, and raw material scarcity underscore the urgency of rethinking how electronics are designed, produced, used, and recovered.
To address these challenges, circular economy approaches are essential but not sufficient. Extending product lifecycles, improving repairability, and recovering materials can reduce waste. However, the transition is shaped by trade-offs: modularity may weaken durability, automation may displace jobs, and IP protection may limit repair. These dilemmas cut across technology, industry, and society and require careful navigation.
This white paper proposes Responsible Innovation (RI) as a framework to guide this transition. RI emphasises anticipation, inclusivity, reflexivity, responsiveness, transparency, and equity — principles that enable decision-makers to balance economic, environmental, and social priorities while building trust and resilience.
The REACT project, a £6M+ UKRI-funded Green Economy Centre, is leading this agenda by supporting the electronics, ICT, semiconductor, quantum, and photonics industries in transitioning to circular and low-carbon futures. Through expert talks, interviews, panels, and roundtables, REACT has convened diverse stakeholders to identify opportunities, barriers, and best practices.
However, the sector faces a critical paradox: while enabling progress, it also generates escalating risks. Electronics produce substantial waste, rely on scarce and geopolitically sensitive raw materials, and operate within fragile global supply chains that are difficult to regulate and vulnerable to disruption. Rising e-waste, high emissions, and raw material scarcity underscore the urgency of rethinking how electronics are designed, produced, used, and recovered.
To address these challenges, circular economy approaches are essential but not sufficient. Extending product lifecycles, improving repairability, and recovering materials can reduce waste. However, the transition is shaped by trade-offs: modularity may weaken durability, automation may displace jobs, and IP protection may limit repair. These dilemmas cut across technology, industry, and society and require careful navigation.
This white paper proposes Responsible Innovation (RI) as a framework to guide this transition. RI emphasises anticipation, inclusivity, reflexivity, responsiveness, transparency, and equity — principles that enable decision-makers to balance economic, environmental, and social priorities while building trust and resilience.
The REACT project, a £6M+ UKRI-funded Green Economy Centre, is leading this agenda by supporting the electronics, ICT, semiconductor, quantum, and photonics industries in transitioning to circular and low-carbon futures. Through expert talks, interviews, panels, and roundtables, REACT has convened diverse stakeholders to identify opportunities, barriers, and best practices.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2025 |
