GEC at eSummit 2024
SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP: NEXT GENERATION EPEAT ECOLABEL CRITERIA AND STAKEHOLDER SUPPLY CHAIN PERSPECTIVES
Wednesday • October 23 • 2:00 – 3:45 pm CT
The Global Electronics Council will launch its next generation EPEAT® Ecolabel criteria for ICT products in 2025 setting the market expectation for sustainability of ICT products for several years to come. Join GEC and guest speakers for this session to learn about the updated EPEAT criteria covering four priority sustainability areas: climate change, circularity, chemicals and responsible supply chains. Stakeholders – from purchasers to component suppliers and recyclers – will share their perspectives on the criteria, directional alignment with organizational goals, and implementation challenges with a focus on circularity criteria.
Contact us at criteria@gec.org for questions or more information.
More about the Global Electronics Council
The Global Electronics Council (GEC) accelerates 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.
Our work accelerates change across four critical areas of action:
- Climate action: Guide the market to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacture, supply chains and use of electronics.
- Circularity: Ensure electronics producers design their products and packaging for longevity, reuse and recycling with a view to eliminate all waste from the industry.
- Chemicals of concern: Help eliminate the use of toxic chemicals that are hazardous to human health and the environment.
- Responsible supply chains: Safeguard responsible material sourcing, fair labor practices and worker health and safety in the electronics supply chain.
More about SERI
SERI’s role is to bring all those disparate parts together to bring about real change. This unique organization is the only multi-stakeholder, collaborative nonprofit organization in the world focused exclusively on minimizing the environmental and health risks posed by used and end-of-life electronics, while also maximizing the social and economic value presented by this equipment. SERI wants everyone to think about electronics differently, to act more responsibly, and to make decisions with our electronics using sustainability as our guiding North Star. Because when we do, we’ll protect people and the environment, while making sure our electronics do a world of good.
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.
Miranda Gardiner
Executive Director, iMasons Climate Accord
Miranda Gardiner is the Executive Director of the iMasons Climate Accord — a non-profit focused on global carbon accounting of digital infrastructure to influence market-based decisions and drive the data center industry to achieve carbon neutrality. With 16+ years of experience, Miranda is a driven, professional manager with extensive industry experience in green buildings, energy and water efficiency, and sustainable master plans and policies. She is passionate about the environment and improving sustainability practices through local and global engagement, with a proven record of working for international sustainability organizations like the US Green Building Council and in 2020, was recognized by USGBC as a LEED Fellow.
Miranda is an enthusiastic author and public speaker who clearly communicates with peers, clients, and corporations to achieve individual and departmental goals. She thrives in implementing sustainable practices that result in significant cost savings, improved efficiency, and reduced environmental impact. Additionally, she is distance running coach and cycling instructor, who believes that caring for oneself resonates in caring for the planet; she has completed 8 marathons and 3 ultramarathons.
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
Senior Director, Strategic Growth, 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.
Daniel Reid
Head of Secretariat, Circular Electronics Partnership (CEP)
Bruno Sarda
Americas Leader, Climate Change and Sustainability, EY
As a sustainability leader with more than 25 years of experience across multiple sectors and industry roles, Bruno leads our Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) across the Americas.
A trusted advisor to companies worldwide, Bruno works with business leaders and boards to develop and execute programs and solutions and integrate sustainability performance into core business operations and strategy. Bruno has proven success managing complexity and providing results in fast-changing environments.
Bruno is a sustainability thought leader and has been named one of the “most influential sustainability voices in America,” a Top 50 Environmental Leader and a Top 10 Global Sustainability Influencer. He is the host of the acclaimed “Sustainability Matters” EY podcast series and has been featured in numerous industry publications. He frequently presents on these topics at local and international industry events.
How Bruno is building a better working world
Recognized for his ability to drive change through influence and inspiration, Bruno thrives on building and managing high-performing teams and organizations. He is grateful for the role mentors have played in his career success and is passionate about paying it forward and developing future leaders.
Bruno is a part-time Professor of Practice and Senior Sustainability Scholar in Arizona State University’s world-leading College of Global Futures. His passion for innovation is infused into the sustainability courses he teaches to both graduate students and executives.
Betsy Sirk
Director of Digital Accessibility and Strategic Sourcing, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Ms. Betsy Sirk is the Director of Digital Accessibility and Strategic Sourcing for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with extensive leadership experience focused on implementing digital solutions to support NASA’s mission and the Federal Government. She serves as the Chairperson of the Federal CIO Council Accessibility Community of Practice Industry Outreach Program and directs the Digital Accessibility Program NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Ms. Sirk serves on Executive Office of the President Committees that promote digital accessibility and leads international accessibility collaboration efforts. She is a renowned digital accessibility expert and advocate.
Ms. Sirk also leads government-wide strategic sourcing efforts serving as Chairperson for both the Workstation Category Team and the Federal Mobility Group Acquisition Pillar. Her distinguished career highlights include supporting NASA’s critical return-to-flight efforts for the Space Shuttle Program. Ms. Sirk has received numerous Government and Industry awards. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree from the University of Maryland and holds a Masters Degree with Distinction in Computer Science from George Washington University.
Corinna Wolf
Global Head of Sustainability
Corinna Wolf heads Infineon’s global sustainability department and reports directly to the management board. She develops and oversees the execution of the company’s global sustainability strategy across all business areas. She drives Infineon to meet its ambitious climate goals to be carbon neutral by 2030, to cut emissions by 70 percent over 2019 level by 2025, and to help suppliers reach their climate goals (Scope 3) through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
In this role, she drives Infineon’s efforts to decarbonize its own business as well as its products and applications. For example, she led Infineon’s efforts to become the first semi-conductor company worldwide to provide customers with the carbon footprint of its products at a level of detail and transparency that is unique in the industry.
Corinna is a fervent driver of sustainability, innovation, and digitalization in strong alliance with growth. She believes that only in this combination can Infineon achieve its goals.
Throughout her extensive career at Infineon, Corinna has held numerous positions. For example, she led the marketing communications, partnership management and emerging applications activities of Infineon’s Power Sensor & Systems Division. In this function, she was responsible for all product & application campaigns, trade fairs and events, piloting innovative formats for positioning Infineon in decarbonization and digitalization and generating revenue and driving brand-positioning through partnerships.
Corinna also worked as the Global HR Business Partner to the Infineon CMO where she drove major transformation projects in the sales & marketing area for Infineon, as well as digitalization and leadership development initiatives.
Prior to her re-joining Infineon in 2016, Corinna worked for ENGIE, a French energy utility provider, where she held different HR leadership roles in various countries in Europe. She was part of the selected project team driving Engie’s Digital Strategy in 2014. Before joining ENGIE in 2009, she worked for 5 years in the memory unit of Infineon, Qimonda.
Corinna holds a diploma degree in Economics, English and Education from the Technical University of Dresden. She lives in Munich.
