Gold prices have surged to record highs of more than $4,000 (£2,985) an ounce, sending shockwaves through global manufacturing supply chains and intensifying cost pressures on the technology sector. As investors flock to gold as a safe haven amid sanctions, economic uncertainty, trade wars, and fears of an AI bubble burst, electronics manufacturers are being forced to confront their growing reliance on the precious metal.
The tech industry can counter soaring gold prices by investing in sustainable electronics that allow the easy recycling and reuse of the metal, advises a UK tech expert.
Gold is used in circuit boards in mobile phones, computers, and other technology because it is an efficient conductor of electricity, does not corrode or oxidise, and can easily be shaped and formed into thin sheets, wires, and small and intricate pieces.
Now Emma Armstrong, Sustainable Electronics Ambassador and Group Commercial Director at UK electronics pioneer In2tec, says modular technology – where electronics are designed to be disassembled so components can be easily repaired, replaced, and recycled – allows the industry to control its own gold supply.
She says: “High gold prices will be deeply concerning for OEMs across the world, but the supply chain risk can be mitigated by halting the dumping of gold-containing ewaste into landfill.
“Modular electronics are superior to conventional circuit boards because they allow valuable materials and components to be easily retrieved.
“The unavoidable truth is that we are running out of resources required for making everyday devices, such as rare earth elements, aluminium, copper, and steel – and gold,” she adds.
“Experts believe that as much as 7% of the world’s gold may be held in ewaste, and there could be 100 times more gold in a tonne of ewaste than in a tonne of gold ore. These materials are needed to drive innovations in medicine, renewable energy, and engineering to improve the lives of millions, while the second-life component market provides additional revenue streams through the resale of valuable components and materials by OEMs, recyclers, and component OEMs.”
Sustainable technology pioneer In2tec has a scalable solution that can transform the electronics industry.
Emma said: “The answer is circularity in the electronics industry, but for too long it has been seen as an impossibility because of technical challenges, including the complexity of the construction of conventional printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) and the limited repair, recycling, and reusability options they present.”
Since 2001, In2tec has worked to slash the harrowing environmental and societal impact of ewaste and provide innovative solutions to the growing problem of throwaway electronics.
The company’s signature ReUSE and ReCYCLE comprise a closed-loop process allowing manufacturers to harvest components from existing electronics at the end of their useful life and reuse them.
ReUSE is a series of materials, processes and design principles used to manufacture printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), while ReCYCLE is the ultra-low energy process for unzipping PCBAs – the foundation of nearly all technology – to the original bill of materials (BoM).
The technology’s versatility allows global commercialisation and a vast reduction in the overall energy used to manufacture and process when it reaches its end of life – something that is not possible when using conventional PCBA processes or materials.
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