The electronics industry has a strange, often tense relationship with the worlds of energy efficiency and all things 'green'. It wants to be seen as a great enabler of cutting carbon emissions and better husbandry of the world's resources.Beyond that, semiconductor companies generally remind us that they are extending the battery life and functionality of all manner of mobile devices, and that even their most powerful processors are today designed specifically to reduce the massive amounts of energy needed simply to cool today's ubiquitous server farms. However, one area where electronics is embracing calls for a more environmentally conscious approach is manufacturing. Its problem here though is that its own record for innovation can prove to be at odds with its environmental and economic objectives.