Rapidly increasing volumes of short-lived commercial electronic products are generating ever-increasing amounts of electronic waste. One of the main problems is the decomposition of electronic circuit boards after the use phase. The substrate materials are mostly made of petroleum-based thermosets, some of which contain ecologically harmful brominated flame-retardants. Since a large part of PCB (printed circuit boards) production takes place in Asia, the EU has no influence on the composition and environmental compatibility of this base material for electrical engineering and electronic components. Due to the non-recyclable thermoset material used to date, the separation of metals and organic components is still a challenge to solve in terms of carbon footprint and cost. Global sustainability requires a comprehensive approach that includes innovative manufacturing processes for composites and electronics as well as environmentally friendly disposal and recycling strategies such as design for recycling. Strategic technology metal (such as copper, silver and gold), as well as key raw material recycling is also an important issue.