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28 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2022 lines already contributing to carbon reduction within the electronics supply chain. As a sup- plier, we are continuously working with the industry to generate data so that this technol- ogy can be a stand-in replacement to electro- less copper far into the future. In a future that is fraught with increasing risk of environmen- tal regulation, the electronics industry needs to be open to the possibility that electroless copper may someday no longer be an econom- ically viable option. PCB007 Leslie Kim is director of primary metallization at MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions. Jordan Kologe is technology marketing manager at MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions. total emissions produced by the production of five-gallon pails and 55-gallon drums. From this, we estimate that the horizontal electro- less copper line with this size output is gener- ating a minimum of around 260,000 kg equiv- alent CO 2 per year, while the direct metalliza- tion line is producing 72,000 kg equivalent CO 2 per year through just the five categories exam- ined, within the scope as outlined. is is even more important for manufactur- ers inside of or thinking of entering the HDI space. Using the calculations above, one can then come to a rough estimate for the differ- ence in CO 2 output per board square meter that these two different primary metallizations have in multilayer vs HDI (Figure 7). Conclusion e main goal of this article is to open the discussion to the industry to examine the broader impacts of the primary metallization step in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards, and to add to the discussion on what frameworks are being used to quantify carbon output in our supply chain in general. Globally, there are more than 600 direct metallization Figure 7: While HDI does increase carbon emissions, direct metallization minimizes this significantly.