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
- Klima
- 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 beaufsichtigt den Prozess der Kriterienentwicklung, die Strategie und das Team der GEC für neue und bestehende EPEAT-Produktkategorien sowie andere GEC-Initiativen. Sie leitet die Initiative zur Umwandlung des GEC-Kriterienentwicklungsprozesses in einen effizienteren, flexibleren und wissenschaftlich orientierten Prozess, der ein breites Spektrum von Interessengruppen und Experten einbezieht. Ihr Team ist verantwortlich für die fortlaufende Überwachung und Entwicklung neuer Produktkategorien, die Vorbereitung der State of Sustainability Research zu den Nachhaltigkeitsauswirkungen von Elektronikgeräten und Strategien zur Abschwächung der Auswirkungen, die Verwaltung von Multi-Stakeholder-Prozessen, die Nachhaltigkeitskriterien für die Implementierung in das EPEAT-Register erstellen und pflegen, sowie die Entwicklung des GEC-Umweltvorteilsrechners für Elektronikgeräte. Sie kam 2016 zu GEC und bringt ein tiefes Verständnis der konsensbasierten Kriterienentwicklung und eine lange Erfahrung mit EPEAT mit. Sie war von Anfang an an den Standards beteiligt, die die Grundlage der EPEAT bilden, zunächst als Interessenvertreterin, die zur Teilnahme an der Entwicklung des ursprünglichen Computerstandards eingeladen wurde, und später in Führungspositionen für die Standards für Fernseher, Server und Photovoltaik.
Patty verfügt über mehr als dreißig Jahre Erfahrung in den Bereichen Forschung, Moderation und Programmmanagement bei der Entwicklung von Standards, Umweltpolitik und Geschäftsstrategien, wobei sie sich intensiv mit Elektronik, Kunststoffen und Verpackungen beschäftigt hat. Bevor sie zu GEC kam, war Patty eine unabhängige Beraterin, eine Teilzeit-Programm-Managerin beim Northeast Recycling Council, wo sie die State Electronics Challenge und das Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse leitete, und eine wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin an der Tufts University. Patty hat einen Master-Abschluss in Bauingenieurwesen mit Schwerpunkt Umwelttechnik von der Tufts University und einen Bachelor-Abschluss in Biologie von der Tufts University.
Bob Mitchell
Chief Executive Officer, Global Electronics Council
Als Chief Executive Officer des Global Electronics Council ist Bob für die Führung und strategische Aufsicht der Organisation verantwortlich, um deren Vision und Mission zu erfüllen. Er verfügt über einen fundierten Hintergrund in den Bereichen Wirtschaft und Menschenrechte, ökologische Nachhaltigkeit, Non-Profit-Management sowie unternehmerische Nachhaltigkeit und Programme.
Als ehemaliger Vizepräsident für Menschenrechte und Umwelt bei der Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) leitete er die Strategieentwicklung und Umsetzung von Programmen für verantwortungsbewusstes Geschäftsgebaren in einem branchenübergreifenden Umfeld mit mehreren Interessengruppen. In dieser Funktion war er für die Einführung und den Start bedeutender Bemühungen in Bereichen wie der Sorgfaltspflicht bei Zwangsarbeit, der Dekarbonisierung von Lieferketten, der Kreislaufwirtschaft und der Widerstandsfähigkeit von Lieferketten verantwortlich.
Er ist ein Veteran von Hewlett Packard und Hewlett Packard Enterprise und arbeitet seit über anderthalb Jahrzehnten im Bereich der Nachhaltigkeit. Vor seiner Tätigkeit bei der RBA war er Director, Global Social & Environmental Responsibility bei Hewlett Packard Enterprise und leitete ein Team von Fachleuten, das sich unter anderem mit Menschenrechten, Umweltverantwortung für Produkte, Verantwortung in der Lieferkette und Konfliktmineralien beschäftigte. Bob war auch Mitglied des RBA-Vorstands und des Beirats von Social Accountability International (SAI). Er hat einen MBA-Abschluss von der University of Arizona und einen Bachelor-Abschluss von der University of Virginia.
Kaushik Ramakrishnan
Vice President, Global Market Development and Strategy, Global Electronics Council
Als Senior Director, Strategic Growth, treibt Kaushik Ramakrishnan die langfristige Wirkung und Wachstumsstrategie von GEC voran. Als Mitglied des Senior Leadership Teams arbeitet er eng mit dem CEO und der GEC-Führung zusammen, um weltweit wachstumsstarke Möglichkeiten zu konzipieren, zu entwickeln und zu verwirklichen, um die Mission und Vision der Organisation zu erfüllen.
Kaushik verfügt über mehr als 20 Jahre Erfahrung in der Privatwirtschaft, bei Start-ups und gemeinnützigen Organisationen auf vier Kontinenten. Er ist ein Nachhaltigkeitsexperte, der sich intensiv mit Nachhaltigkeitsstrategien von Unternehmen, nachhaltigen Lieferketten und Klimafinanzierung beschäftigt hat. Bevor er zu GEC kam, hatte Kaushik Führungspositionen bei Sustainalytics, Rainforest Alliance, IDH - the Sustainable Trade Initiative, Ericsson, Infosys und Pula Advisors inne.
Kaushik hat einen MBA-Abschluss der Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, und einen Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Science, der Visvesvaraya Technological University. Er lebt derzeit in Gent, Belgien.
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.
