REFORM

Printed electronics for the circular economy

Fundación CIDETEC -España | KTH Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan -Suecia | Specific Polymers - Francia | CISC Semiconductor GmbH - Austria | AIMPLAS – Asociación de Investigación de Materiales Plásticos y Conexas - España | Crowdhelix Limited - Irlanda | Talkin Things Sp. z o.o. - Polonia | NOVA ID FCT – Associação para a Inovação e Desenvolvimento da FCT - Portugal | Associação AlmaScience – Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Celulose para Aplicações Inteligentes e Sustentáveis - Portugal | Centre for Process Innovation Limited (CPI) -Reino Unido | NCC Operations Limited - Reino Unido | Cygnet Texkimp Limited - Reino Unido

Objectives

The main objective of REFORM is to develop a new European supply chain for green functional electronics, based on materials, processes and designs that reduce environmental impact. The project seeks to create sustainable electronic components — adhesives, conductive inks and flexible substrates of biological origin — that enable the manufacture of functional devices with high technological performance, while meeting criteria for eco-design, circularity and material recovery.

Description

REFORM is a European initiative that addresses the environmental challenges associated with conventional functional electronics, especially those that are surface-mounted or integrated into products. The project aims to transform this industry by developing eco-friendly electronic “building blocks”, such as green adhesives, sustainable conductive inks and flexible bio-based substrates. These materials will be integrated into real-world electronic systems led by industry, accompanied by innovations in conformity testing and end-of-life material recovery methods.
The project's approach is holistic: it covers the entire value chain, from material design and formulation to the manufacture of functional prototypes. This comprehensive vision not only enables technological progress towards industry-compatible solutions but also generates real-world demonstrators with a direct impact on sustainability. The three planned prototypes are:

a green smart logistics label,
a sustainable integrated wireless sensor,
and a green micro-supercapacitor.

REFORM brings together a top-level consortium of universities, technology centres, industry associations, SMEs and large companies from eight European countries. The project is coordinated by CIDETEC (Spain), a centre specialising in surface engineering and energy storage, with extensive experience in European projects. Thanks to the combination of the consortium's capabilities, REFORM aims to position Europe as a leader in green functional electronics, contributing to the objectives of the European Green Deal and increasing the continent's industrial competitiveness.