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 supervisiona o processo de desenvolvimento de critérios, estratégia, e equipa na GEC para novas e existentes categorias de produtos EPEAT, bem como outras iniciativas da GEC. Ela lidera a iniciativa de transformar o processo de desenvolvimento de critérios do GEC num processo mais eficiente, ágil e orientado para a ciência, que envolve intervenientes e peritos amplos e diversificados. A sua equipa é responsável pela vigilância em curso e desenvolvimento de novas categorias de produtos, preparando a Investigação do Estado de Sustentabilidade sobre o impacto da electrónica na sustentabilidade e estratégias para mitigar os impactos, gerindo processos multi-stakeholder que constroem e mantêm critérios de sustentabilidade para implementação no Registo EPEAT, e desenvolvendo a calculadora de benefícios ambientais da electrónica GEC. Juntou-se à GEC em 2016, trazendo uma profunda compreensão do desenvolvimento de critérios baseados no consenso e uma longa história com a EPEAT. Tem estado envolvida nas normas que formam a fundação da EPEAT desde o seu início, primeiro como parte interessada convidada a participar no desenvolvimento da norma informática inicial, e subsequentemente, em posições de liderança para as normas de televisão, servidor, e fotovoltaicas.
Patty tem mais de trinta anos de investigação, facilitação e experiência de gestão de programas em desenvolvimento de normas, política ambiental, e estratégia empresarial com extenso trabalho em electrónica, plásticos, e embalagem. Antes de se juntar à GEC, Patty foi consultora independente, gestora de programas a tempo parcial no Conselho de Reciclagem do Nordeste, onde geriu o State Electronics Challenge and Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse, e associada de investigação na Tufts University. Patty tem um mestrado em Engenharia Civil com uma concentração em Engenharia Ambiental pela Universidade Tufts, e um bacharelato em Biologia pela Universidade Tufts.
Bob Mitchell
Chief Executive Officer, Global Electronics Council
Como Diretor Executivo do Global Electronics Council, Bob fornece liderança e supervisão estratégica da organização para cumprir a sua visão e missão. Ele tem uma vasta experiência em negócios e direitos humanos, sustentabilidade ambiental, gestão de organizações sem fins lucrativos e sustentabilidade e programas corporativos.
Como ex-vice-presidente de Direitos Humanos e Meio Ambiente da Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), Bob liderou o desenvolvimento de estratégias e a implementação de programas de conduta empresarial responsável em um ambiente multissetorial e com várias partes interessadas. Nesta função, ele conduziu o início e o lançamento de esforços significativos em áreas como Due Diligence de Trabalho Forçado, Descarbonização das Cadeias de Fornecimento, Circularidade e Resiliência da Cadeia de Fornecimento.
É um veterano da Hewlett Packard e da Hewlett Packard Enterprise, com mais de uma década e meia de trabalho no domínio da sustentabilidade. Antes de trabalhar na RBA, foi Diretor, Responsabilidade Social e Ambiental Global na Hewlett Packard Enterprise, liderando uma equipa de profissionais em direitos humanos, gestão ambiental de produtos, responsabilidade da cadeia de fornecimento e minerais de conflito, entre outras áreas problemáticas. Bob também fez parte do Conselho de Administração da RBA e do Conselho Consultivo da Social Accountability International (SAI). Tem um MBA da Universidade do Arizona e um bacharelato da Universidade da Virgínia.
Kaushik Ramakrishnan
Vice President, Global Market Development and Strategy, Global Electronics Council
Como Diretor Sénior, Crescimento Estratégico, Kaushik Ramakrishnan conduz o impacto a longo prazo e a estratégia de crescimento da GEC. Como membro da equipa de liderança sénior, trabalha em estreita colaboração com o CEO e a liderança da GEC para idealizar, incubar e concretizar oportunidades de elevado crescimento a nível global para cumprir a missão e a visão da organização.
Kaushik tem mais de 20 anos de experiência a trabalhar no sector privado e com startups e organizações sem fins lucrativos em quatro continentes. Ele é um profissional de sustentabilidade que trabalhou extensivamente em estratégias de sustentabilidade corporativa, cadeias de suprimentos sustentáveis e financiamento climático. Antes de se juntar à GEC, Kaushik desempenhou funções de liderança na Sustainalytics, Rainforest Alliance, IDH - a Iniciativa de Comércio Sustentável, Ericsson, Infosys e Pula Advisors.
Kaushik tem um MBA da Indian School of Business, Hyderabad e um bacharelato em Engenharia Informática da Visvesvaraya Technological University. Vive atualmente em Ghent, na 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.
