At a webcast on August 24, leading speakers will explore whether manufacturers’ RoHS/REACH efforts become a cornerstone for a Cradle to Cradle® strategy.
Manufacturers are under increasing pressure from consumers, NGOs and industry to remove chemicals and materials from their products that are considered hazardous and to create products that are sustainable. Governments are in turn driving the proliferation of product regulations such as RoHS, WEEE and REACH. These pressures collectively are forcing manufacturers to disclose detailed product compliance and safety information.
Many organizations are realizing their current processes, systems and relationships do not provide the needed product information. They are working to quickly provide additional resources, invest in the appropriate systems, people and strategy to collect, analyze and manage their product information that will ensure compliance and more effectively manage risks to minimize disruptions to their business.
Leading companies are moving past compliance and are recognizing cradle-to-cradle™ concepts as they embrace the move from eco-efficiency to eco-effectiveness. This requires understanding of the full content of products and using the information to design better products from the inside out – changing the design frame from restorative to regenerative.
In this one-hour webcast, you will learn about the approach Varian Medical Systems has undertaken to realize its product stewardship vision along with benefits and lessons learned to date. You will also hear from Cradle to Cradle® visionary William McDonough about how this fits with the ultimate goal of a closed-loop economy and the steps organizations must take to achieve a positive footprint and eco-effectiveness.
Speakers:
William McDonough, co-founder, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry
William McDonough, FAIA, Int. FRIBA, is a designer, thought leader, and co-creator, with Michael Braungart, of the Cradle to Cradle® approach to design. He advises top leaders in all sectors including venture capital, government policy, city and building design, product manufacturing, industrial systems, economic systems and new business models, energy and water systems, and material reutilization in biological or technical cycles. 1996, he became the only individual to receive the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development. In 2003, he received the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. In 2004, he received the U.S. National Design Award. He was named a “Hero of the Planet” by Time magazine with a citation that included this assessment: “His utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that—in demonstrable and practical ways—is changing the design of the world.”
Snehashish Sarkar, Senior Manager-Enterprise, Varian Medical Systems
Ashish is a Senior Manager leading large business transformation and system implementation programs at Varian Medical System. He has expertise in the areas of supply chain, business transformation, process integration and solution design. He has total 16 years of experience, led multiple IT projects involving big bang global implementations, multi-country, and multi-language rollouts. Prior to Varian, he worked as Senior Manager at Deloitte Consulting in Technology Integration group and as a Practice Manager in Enterprise Application Service of Wipro Technologies.
Richard Vermeij, Senior Director of Solution Management, Sustainability – Product Safety & Stewardship, SAP
Richard’s global responsibilities include solution strategy and roadmap, business development, and strategic marketing. Richard leverages his extensive experience with new product development and introduction, industry regulations, and PLM / ERP systems, to work with leading product manufacturers on improving their ability to bring safe and eco-friendly products to market. He holds an MS in electrical engineering from Eindhoven University in The Netherlands.
Moderator: Joel Makower, Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group
Joel is Executive Editor of GreenBiz.com and author of “Strategies for the Green Economy,” among other books. For more than 20 years, he has been a well-respected voice on business, the environment, and the bottom line. The Associated Press has called Joel “the guru of green business practices.”
Sponsored by: SAP
To register, click here.