GEC at the Responsible Business 2024 Annual Conference
EVOLVING SUSTAINABLE ELECTRONICS: READYING THE SUPPLY CHAIN FOR NEXT GENERATION EPEAT CRITERIA
November 21, 2024, 9 am – 12 pm PST
The EPEAT ecolabel has been a vital signal in the technology market for nearly 20 years, aligning purchasers, electronics brands and other stakeholders on a shared definition of what it means for a product to be “sustainable”. This definition is evolving after years of multi-stakeholder efforts to revise the EPEAT criteria, creating a new benchmark to meet growing expectations in this area. Not only will the next generation of EPEAT criteria raise the bar for the global community, but it will also require significantly more interaction with supply chain partners.
Join the Global Electronics Council (GEC) at the Responsible Business 2024 Annual Conference for an interactive event on the important role of supply chain partners in sustainable product development, including final assembly and component manufacturer’s role in meeting these upcoming revisions to the EPEAT ecolabel standards.
Explore these criteria revisions and supplier specific requirements addressing four material areas, including:
- Responsible Supply Chain
- Climate
- Circularity
- Chemicals
In addition, we will dive into how Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) tools and resources can accelerate meeting these criteria. As a participant you will be able to gain insights into the resources, programs and advisory services designed to help your company and suppliers become “EPEAT Ready”. Don’t miss out on this 3-hour partner event – attendance is complementary, and refreshments will be available!
Featured speakers
Balan Shanmuganathan
Cassie Gruber
Christy Jung
Lead Program Manager, HP
Bob Mitchell
Chief Executive Officer, Global Electronics Council
Patricia Dillon
Vice President, Criteria and Category Development, Global Electronics Council
Kaushik Ramakrishnan
Vice President, Global Market Development and Strategy, Global Electronics Council
Event Agenda
November 21, 2024 • All times below are in local Pacific Standard Time
9:00 am – 10:00 am – The Next Phase of EPEAT: GEC’s Goals for Sustainable Impact and the Updated EPEAT Criteria
Join GEC leaders as they share how the EPEAT ecolabel is evolving to expand coverage of material sustainability topics and strengthen supply chain engagement through the implementation of the next generation of EPEAT Criteria. The session will cover a holistic overview of the newly revised criteria, spotlighting critical advancements in responsible supply chains, climate impact reduction, chemical safety, and circular product design. A fireside chat will follow, diving into how these evolving standards will shape the future of sustainable electronics and drive measurable change across the industry.
10:00 am – 11:00 am – Supply Chain Perspectives: A Deep Dive into EPEAT’s Revised Criteria
Explore the Updated EPEAT Criteria from a supplier’s point of view in this session. We’ll walk through the complexities of the updated criteria, offering practical insights on how these changes impact each stage of the supply chain. In our second fireside chat, an industry expert will delve into the challenges and opportunities these criteria bring to component manufacturing, helping attendees understand the full scope of EPEAT’s impact on suppliers.
11:00 am – 11:30 am – GEC Supplier Engagement: Resources and Programs to Accelerate Supply Chain Readiness
Get equipped with the tools and resources GEC offers to help suppliers meet the revised EPEAT Criteria. This session will provide an overview of upcoming resources, programs and advisory services to create an “EPEAT Ready” supply chain. Our final fireside chat will follow, offer candid insights on supplier engagement, highlighting ways to foster collaboration and drive meaningful results.
11:30 am – 12:00 pm – Round Tables with GEC
Designed as an open forum, this session offers attendees dedicated office hours and one-on-one meetings with GEC staff to address specific questions from previous sessions. Whether you need clarification on criteria, supplier resources, or guidance on the upcoming criteria changes, this open forum provides the personalized support you need to navigate the next generation EPEAT criteria with confidence.
More about the Global Electronics Council
GEC is working to accelerate systemic change to create a 100% sustainable electronics industry by 2050. This means net-zero emissions, zero waste, water neutrality and minimal adverse impact on the environment and human rights throughout the life cycle of products and services.
As stewards of the EPEAT ecolabel, we set the global standard for sustainable electronics. We empower electronics manufacturers and buyers to meet their sustainability goals through our world-leading accreditation, advocacy and leadership. We are reshaping the world’s relationship with technology and natural resources and enabling the transformation of electronics from an escalating environmental and social challenge into an empowering, sustainable solution.
More about the Responsible Business Alliance
The Responsible Business Alliance is the world’s largest industry coalition dedicated to responsible business conduct in global supply chains.
Founded in 2004 by a group of leading electronics companies, the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), formerly the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), is a nonprofit comprised of electronics, retail, auto and toy companies committed to supporting the rights and well-being of workers and communities worldwide affected by global supply chains. RBA members commit and are held accountable to a common Code of Conduct and utilize a range of RBA training and assessment tools to support continuous improvement in the social, environmental and ethical responsibility of their supply chains. In addition to RBA members, thousands of companies that are Tier 1 suppliers to members are required to implement the RBA Code of Conduct. Visit https://www.responsiblebusiness.org/about/rba/ for more information.
Patricia Dillon
Vice President, Criteria and Category Development, Global Electronics Council
Patty oversees the criteria development process, strategy, and team at GEC for new and existing EPEAT product categories as well as other GEC initiatives. She leads the initiative to transform the GEC criteria development process into a more efficient, agile, science-driven process that engages broad and diverse stakeholders and experts. Her team is responsible for the ongoing surveillance and development of new product categories, preparing State of Sustainability Research on the sustainability impact of electronics and strategies to mitigate the impacts, managing multi-stakeholder processes that build and maintain sustainability criteria for implementation on the EPEAT Registry, and developing GEC’s electronics environmental benefits calculator. She joined GEC in 2016, bringing a deep understanding of consensus-based criteria development and a long history with EPEAT. She has been involved in the standards that form the foundation of EPEAT since its inception, first as a stakeholder invited to participate in the development of the initial computer standard, and subsequently, in leadership positions for the television, server, and photovoltaic standards.
Patty has over thirty years of research, facilitation, and program management experience in standards development, environmental policy, and business strategy with extensive work in electronics, plastics, and packaging. Before joining GEC, Patty was an independent consultant, a part-time program manager at the Northeast Recycling Council, where she managed the State Electronics Challenge and Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse, and a research associate at Tufts University. Patty holds a master’s degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental Engineering from Tufts University, and a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Tufts University.
Bob Mitchell
Chief Executive Officer, Global Electronics Council
As Chief Executive Officer of the Global Electronics Council, Bob provides leadership and strategic oversight of the organization to fulfill its vision and mission. He brings a deep background in business & human rights, environmental sustainability, non-profit management and corporate sustainability & programs.
As former Vice President of Human Rights & Environment at the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), Bob led the strategy development and implementation for responsible business conduct programs in a multi-industry, multi-stakeholder environment. In this role, he drove the inception and launch of significant efforts in areas such as Forced Labor Due Diligence, Decarbonizing Supply Chains, Circularity and Supply Chain Resiliency.
He is a veteran of Hewlett Packard and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, with over a decade and a half working in the sustainability field. Prior to working at the RBA, he was Director, Global Social & Environmental Responsibility at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, leading a team of professionals in human rights, product environmental stewardship, supply chain responsibility and conflict minerals, among other issue areas. Bob also served on the RBA Board of Directors and Advisory Board of Social Accountability International (SAI). He holds an MBA from the University of Arizona, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.
Kaushik Ramakrishnan
Vice President, Global Market Development and Strategy, Global Electronics Council
As Senior Director, Strategic Growth, Kaushik Ramakrishnan drives GEC’s long-term impact and growth strategy. As a member of the senior leadership team, he works closely with the CEO and GEC’s leadership to ideate, incubate, and realize high-growth opportunities globally to deliver on the organization’s mission and vision.
Kaushik has more than 20 years of experience working in the private sector and with startups and non-profit organizations across four continents. He is a sustainability professional who has worked extensively on corporate sustainability strategies, sustainable supply chains and climate finance. Prior to joining GEC, Kaushik held leadership roles with Sustainalytics, Rainforest Alliance, IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative, Ericsson, Infosys and Pula Advisors.
Kaushik holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and a Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Science, from Visvesvaraya Technological University. He currently lives in Ghent, Belgium.
Balan Shanmuganathan
Senior Engineering Director of Sustainability, Seagate Technology
Balan Shanmuganathan is the Senior Engineering Director of Sustainability at Seagate Technology. He has over 30 years of experience in Environmental Health & Safety and Sustainability. In his current role at Seagate, Balan has responsibility for the company’s overall Sustainability program. In the last 5 years he has been working on Seagate’s circularity efforts engaging with customers, recyclers, supply chain partners and certification bodies to advance Seagate’s circularity efforts.
Cassie Gruber
Director of Sustainability Business Solutions, Jabil
Working closely with customers and segments globally, Cassie Gruber cultivates Jabil’s circular economy strategies. An accomplished leader in the electronic recycling and sustainability industry, Cassie joined Jabil in 2018 to grow green innovative technologies as a subject matter expert on the circular economy. She supports Jabil’s customers across industries in their recycling and circular economy goals and initiatives, through the entire reverse supply chain where products and materials are reused and recycled.
After studying art and philosophy for a decade, Cassie’s career path dramatically shifted when she became a partner of a small e-waste company in Buffalo, New York. Cassie then spent two decades in the electronics recycling industry with a focus on environmental sustainability and compliance. With her vast experience and dedication to sustainability, Cassie has helped Jabil evolve toward a data-driven, circular value supply chain.
Christy Jung
Lead Program Manager, HP
Christy Jung is a Lead Program Manager at HP, specializing in Product Compliance and Sustainability. With a strong background in driving eco-label strategies, sustainability initiatives, and regulatory compliance, she leads a cross-regional team focused on advancing sustainable product development and drives decarbonization solutions with suppliers. She represents HP as a Voting Member on the EPEAT Technical Committee for the Sustainable Use of Resources Module. Christy holds a B.S. in Supply Chain Management from Arizona State University and is pursuing M.S. in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins University.
