PFAS chemicals have been used for decades in various consumer products. One of the biggest sectors when it comes to PFAS is the electronics industry. The electronics and semiconductor industry currently uses 4,400 tonnes of PFAS per year in the EU. However, this number is set to increase to almost 100,000 tonnes in 30 years’ time.

“The use of PFAS in electronics is considerable, but knowledge about where they are used and how to replace them is very low. This is why we decided to develop a guide specifically on PFAS in electronics”, says Dr. Jonatan Kleimark, Senior Chemicals and Business Advisor at ChemSec.

The report Check Your Tech is written together with consultant firm WSP and comes conveniently as the European Union is about to pass a universal PFAS ban, restricting all PFAS chemicals in all products.

“We plan to make it available to suppliers to help us get more accurate information”

Cory Robertson, Environmental Chemist at HP Inc., says the report is a very welcome addition for the electronics industry and a useful starting point for the evaluation of alternative materials:

“The guide is very useful to identify where PFAS are used in electronics and we plan to make it available to suppliers as a reference to help us get more accurate information”, he says.

The new report maps the extensive use of PFAS in the electronics industry, focusing especially on their presence in electronic devices and semiconductors as well as their respective manufacturing processes.

“The report pinpoints 77 different uses for PFAS in the electronics industry”

PFAS offer a number of sought-after properties, which make them desirable for applications in electronic products such as water repellence, flame retardance and chemical inertness. The report pinpoints 77 different uses for PFAS in the electronics industry.

These include, for example, smartphones, printed circuit boards, solar panels and electric cables. According to the report, the most important to prioritize for replacement are the products where PFAS are heavily used and where viable alternatives are available. This category includes printed circuit boards and wiring and cables, as well as heat transfer fluids and dielectric fluids used in the manufacturing process.

The Check your Tech! guide is an addition to the recently launched online PFAS Guide, which is a tool for different sectors to map the presence of PFAS in their products and processes as a first step towards phase-out.