Mouser Electronics White Paper
Table 1: Key sustainable design considerations for improving energy efficiency, ensuring regulatory compliance,
and optimizing component longevity and material use. (Source: Mouser Electronics)
Design Focus Best Practices Why It Matters
Power Efficiency
Use DVFS, sleep modes,
near-threshold logic
Lowers use-phase energy, extends
battery life, and reduces CO
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Performance per Watt
Compare CoreMark/mW,
optimize for real workloads
Informs processor selection
based on actual efficiency
Compliance & Regulations
Follow RoHS, WEEE, REACH,
SCIP, and PFAS guidance
Avoids redesigns, supports safe recycling,
and meets legal requirements
Traceability & Reporting
Include DPP data for
product documentation
Enables transparency and life cycle
tracking under EU mandates
Component Longevity
Choose 10+ year life cycle parts,
support upgrades
Reduces redesigns, e-waste,
and carbon footprint
Material Optimization
Simplify BOM, use recyclable/
RoHS-compliant parts
Eases end-of-life disposal and
reduces toxic materials
Sustainable
Design Case
Study: STM32U3
An example of a practical sustainable design is the
STMicroelectronics STM32U3, a member of the STM32 family of
32-bit ultra-low-power MCUs. The STM32U3, which incorporates
an Arm® Cortex®-M33 core, uses near-threshold logic to achieve
a benchmark score of 117 ULPMark™-CM, offering significant
improvements in energy efficiency compared to previous STM32
generations.
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The device's near-threshold technology reduces active
current consumption to 10µW/MHz, resulting in significantly lower
energy consumption over the life of the product and, for mobile
applications, significantly longer battery life.
Built for ultra-low power consumption, the STM32U3
serves applications such as smart meters, remote sensors,
and wearables. The STM32U3's high power efficiency
is a strong and impactful sustainability feature.
To achieve this enhanced power efficiency, STM32U3 devices
support several low-power modes in addition to the run modes. These
low-power modes include Shutdown, Standby, Sleep, and Stop, which
each device can enter when the CPU does not need to be running at
full speed; for instance, when waiting for an external event to wake it.
