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
- Clima
- 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 supervisa el proceso de desarrollo de criterios, la estrategia y el equipo de GEC para las categorías de productos EPEAT nuevas y existentes, así como para otras iniciativas de GEC. Dirige la iniciativa para transformar el proceso de desarrollo de criterios del GEC en un proceso más eficiente, ágil y orientado a la ciencia que implique a una gran variedad de partes interesadas y expertos. Su equipo es responsable de la vigilancia y el desarrollo continuos de nuevas categorías de productos, de la preparación de la Investigación del Estado de la Sostenibilidad sobre el impacto de la sostenibilidad de los productos electrónicos y las estrategias para mitigar los impactos, de la gestión de los procesos de múltiples partes interesadas que construyen y mantienen los criterios de sostenibilidad para su aplicación en el Registro EPEAT, y del desarrollo de la calculadora de beneficios ambientales de los productos electrónicos del GEC. Se incorporó a GEC en 2016, aportando un profundo conocimiento del desarrollo de criterios basados en el consenso y una larga trayectoria en EPEAT. Ha participado en las normas que forman la base de la EPEAT desde su creación, primero como parte interesada invitada a participar en el desarrollo de la norma inicial de ordenadores y, posteriormente, en puestos de liderazgo para las normas de televisores, servidores y fotovoltaica.
Patty tiene más de treinta años de experiencia en investigación, facilitación y gestión de programas en el desarrollo de normas, política medioambiental y estrategia empresarial, con un amplio trabajo en electrónica, plásticos y envases. Antes de incorporarse a GEC, Patty fue consultora independiente, directora de programas a tiempo parcial en el Northeast Recycling Council, donde gestionó el State Electronics Challenge y el Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse, e investigadora asociada en la Universidad de Tufts. Patty tiene un máster en Ingeniería Civil con especialización en Ingeniería Medioambiental por la Universidad de Tufts, y una licenciatura en Biología por la Universidad de Tufts.
Bob Mitchell
Chief Executive Officer, Global Electronics Council
Como Consejero Delegado del Global Electronics Council, Bob se encarga del liderazgo y la supervisión estratégica de la organización para cumplir su visión y su misión. Aporta una amplia experiencia en empresas y derechos humanos, sostenibilidad medioambiental, gestión de organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro y sostenibilidad y programas corporativos.
Como antiguo vicepresidente de Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente de Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), Bob dirigió el desarrollo y la aplicación de estrategias para programas de conducta empresarial responsable en un entorno multisectorial y de múltiples partes interesadas. En este puesto, dirigió la creación y el lanzamiento de esfuerzos significativos en áreas como la Diligencia Debida en el Trabajo Forzoso, la Descarbonización de las Cadenas de Suministro, la Circularidad y la Resiliencia de la Cadena de Suministro.
Es un veterano de Hewlett Packard y Hewlett Packard Enterprise, con más de una década y media trabajando en el campo de la sostenibilidad. Antes de trabajar en la RBA, fue Director de Responsabilidad Social y Medioambiental Global en Hewlett Packard Enterprise, dirigiendo un equipo de profesionales en derechos humanos, administración medioambiental de productos, responsabilidad de la cadena de suministro y minerales conflictivos, entre otras áreas temáticas. Bob también formó parte del Consejo de Administración de RBA y del Consejo Asesor de Social Accountability International (SAI). Posee un MBA por la Universidad de Arizona y una licenciatura por la Universidad de Virginia.
Kaushik Ramakrishnan
Vice President, Global Market Development and Strategy, Global Electronics Council
Como Director Senior de Crecimiento Estratégico, Kaushik Ramakrishnan impulsa la estrategia de impacto y crecimiento a largo plazo de GEC. Como miembro del equipo directivo, trabaja en estrecha colaboración con el director general y la dirección de GEC para idear, incubar y materializar oportunidades de alto crecimiento a escala mundial con el fin de cumplir la misión y la visión de la organización.
Kaushik tiene más de 20 años de experiencia trabajando en el sector privado y con empresas emergentes y organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro en cuatro continentes. Es un profesional de la sostenibilidad que ha trabajado extensamente en estrategias de sostenibilidad corporativa, cadenas de suministro sostenibles y financiación climática. Antes de incorporarse a GEC, Kaushik ocupó puestos directivos en Sustainalytics, Rainforest Alliance, IDH - la Iniciativa de Comercio Sostenible, Ericsson, Infosys y Pula Advisors.
Kaushik tiene un máster en Administración de Empresas por la Indian School of Business de Hyderabad y es licenciado en Ingeniería Informática por la Universidad Tecnológica Visvesvaraya. Actualmente vive en Gante (Bélgica).
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.
