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Fresh PCB Concepts: More Than Compliance—A Human-centered Sustainability Approach

It's a bright morning in Jiangmen, China. Sustainability Manager Yvonne Qui and engineer Otis Xiao roll into the factory parking lot, clipboards in hand. Their smiles are as warm as the sun rising above the solar panels on the roof, and there's a glint in their eyes. Today, it's not simply about ticking boxes; it’s about walking the talk for sustainability in the global PCB supply chain. 

Audits can be dull, but NCAB sees them as wellness check-ups for factories. Since 2015, our main factories have been subject to audits every two years, covering six areas: management systems, human rights and labor conditions, occupational health and safety, environmental practices, business ethics, and follow-up reviews. These create a full picture of what life and work look like in these factories every day.

In 2024, we conducted 21 audits (including two new sites and five follow-ups), ensuring we inspect all main factories biennially. Take labor conditions, for example. It’s summer. Otis and Yvonne demonstrate how to respond to a chemical spill. Workers huddle around, practice emergency eyewash procedures, then stroll through canteens and dormitories checking lighting, ventilation, hygiene, and safety to ensure everyone on the line goes home safely, every shift. 

Then come the materials, our industry’s backbone. Factories must walk a digital tightrope of global material regulation compliance—REACH, RoHS, TSCA, California Prop 65, POPs, and more. Our code of conduct also mandates annual reporting on 3TG minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold) and cobalt through the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) or Conflict Mineral Reporting Template (CMRT). We check if the smelters comply. If not, we implement a corrective plan or change suppliers. That's how sustainability becomes systemic, not superficial.

Buildings hum with power, and Yvonne and Otis track every watt. Since 2022, NCAB has logged factory energy types and volumes. If your factory is still 100% coal-fired, we ask, “What’s your plan for improvement?” In 2024, our manufacturing partners averaged 41% fossil-free energy, up from 38% in 2023, and nine factories now have solar panels, but we need to do more. We’ll be shifting to carbon-free operations quickly. NCAB’s 2030 target: slash scope 1 to 3 greenhouse gas intensity by 50%, compared to a 2021 baseline of 28.7 tCO2/MSEK revenue. Audits enable progress by measuring the energy mix and requiring factory-level reduction plans.

Additionally, many partner factories have closed-loop water systems, but reuse rates go up to 80%. Here, auditors track water usage per shift, ask for recycling plans, and note whether blue tanks and filters are doing their job. With scrap and waste, every kilogram counts. Quality performance is 99.5%. With sustainable intent, we also minimize scrap and chemical use, because lower waste equals more savings and fewer environmental headaches.

Meanwhile, NCAB’s R&D teams (sympathetically referred to as the Technical Council) research greener materials and circular design. Maybe it’s bio-resins from Sicomin, or Soluboard from Sweden, or paper-based laminates like Papershell and CirEl. These materials undergo IPC testing (now Global Electronics Association GEA testing), thermal endurance trials, and more, with the results feeding back into factory designs. Full recyclability is still pie-in-the-sky, but we're building a lifecycle-based sustainability rating by quantifying energy, water, waste, and recycling potential.

Before COVID, audits stopped at the factory gates. Now they follow every PCB, counting trucks, rail, sea, and air. In 2024, sea shipments grew by 4%—excellent news since air travel emits 6.45 kg CO2e/kg while ocean freight emits only 0.12 kg CO2e/kg. We encourage customers to choose low-carbon transport, log logistics emissions, and push forwarders to use cleaner fleets and sustainable aviation fuel. The goal is to cut logistics emissions in half by 2030. We don’t stop at the factories. NCAB’s offices and warehouses will hit 100% renewable energy by 2030 (already at 56% in 2024). We’ve rolled out energy audits, switched to LED lighting, installed smart thermostats, and optimized recycling systems.

Audits alone don’t create change. We need constant education to make a difference. Whether it’s a seminar, webinar, blog, or social media post, sustainability advocates must reach a wider audience and share the latest available information. For example, Design for Manufacturing (DFM) sessions with engineering or supply chain teams seamlessly tie into best practices to cut material waste and boost yield. Material assessments align with the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and EcoVadis track social, environmental, and governance metrics. Check how your suppliers score when aiming to meet climate requirements.

Beyond audits, internal stakeholders—from sales reps to C-suites—know why water efficiency, halogen-free laminates, and employees matter. Imagine this scene: Yvonne stands in a factory corridor, an Excel sheet on her tablet. She nods at the solar meter spinning, marks “Plan in place until Q4 2025” under “Renewables,” and proceeds to the next station—the wastewater tank, with colored flow readings. The system logs, uploads, and compares all the data with the 2023 data. Energy mix, water usage, and emissions all have established targets. At a desk in Europe, Anna Lothsson, sustainability director, monitors dashboards tracking global progress. She sees which site lags and sends a reminder to Otis: “Could you check if the backup filter's online yet?” That is moment-to-moment sustainability, not merely annual summaries.

What makes our approach shine isn't regulatory compliance;  it's curiosity and empathy. Yvonne’s eye for health hazards, Otis’s drive to reduce water use, and Anna’s strategic leadership reflect a human-centered mission, which resonates with customers. They want PCBs made by partners who care. That’s why our customer satisfaction rate is 92 for sustainability, and 99.5 for quality, hitting both hearts and circuits.

This isn’t a fairy tale with a “happily ever after.” It’s a journey. Every PCB ordered becomes a brushstroke in a story about responsible manufacturing, collective impact, and ethical engagement. Here’s where you come in: Choose a factory with a recent sustainability audit. Ask about the energy mix, water reuse, and logistics emissions. Join our webinars or ask your engineers about greener PCB design. Be curious. Ask if they’re on ocean freight, and about halogen-free substrates. Push for SBTi-aligned targets and transparent reporting.

Together, we’re designing a better future board by board.

Quick Sustainability Stats—NCAB 2024 Snapshot:

• 21 factory audits, covering health, safety, environment, and ethics
• 41% fossil-free energy in partner factories (↑3 pts YoY); nine factories with solar
• Water reuse spans up to 80%. All main factories need water efficiency plans
• Sea freight up four points; air shipping emits 54 times more CO2 than ocean freight
• SBTi target: 50% GHG intensity cut by 2030 (Scope 1-3; base 2021, 28.7 tCO₂/MSEK)
• EcoVadis Silver, scoring 73/100 (top 4% PCB industry)

Audits bring us facts, but it's human moments—Otis’s aha insight, Anna’s strategic insights, your design query—that shape change. As we audit day-to-day and minute-to-minute, we're also storytelling about health, clean energy, smarter materials, and global responsibility.

You’re the narrators who help spread the story, one PCB at a time. Let’s keep building it together.

Ramon Roche is a field applications engineer with NCAB Group.