From Sourcing to End-of-Life: Sustainability Challenges and Opportunities in Organic Bioelectronics

The field of organic bioelectronics carries tremendous expectations, driven by the unique possibilities offered by conjugated polymers. These materials promise high-resolution biological signal transduction, seamless integration with living tissues, ease of processing, and virtually unlimited opportunities for molecular design. Yet, at a time of growing ecological crisis, technological advances must be accompanied by critical reflection on material sourcing, use, waste generation, and mitigation strategies. This perspective addresses sustainability across the full lifecycle of organic bioelectronic materials and devices, providing a foundation for researchers seeking more sustainable alternatives in their work. It examines the sourcing of conjugated polymers, weighing the benefits and limitations of current synthetic routes, greener alternatives, solvents, and monomers in light of sustainability considerations. Moving to device fabrication, it assesses current practices and identifies opportunities for less energy- and solvent-intensive, scalable, and more material-efficient processes. It further considers present and emerging applications where organic bioelectronics has the potential to provide a positive contribution to sustainability and emphasizes biosafety as well as regulatory challenges they face as the field expands. Finally, device end-of-life scenarios are discussed, surveying degradable materials and systems and proposing clearer definitions and standards to align terminology and guide the community toward a shared direction.