Global Chemicals Management for Electronics 2023

• Overview of RoHS regulations outside Europe: from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates, from China and Japan to California.
• Key differences in regulatory requirements in these countries.
• How retailers and brands can proactively overcome these challenges.

Silvia Lai

Global Technical Leader – Regulatory and Chemistry, UL Solutions

• the overall e-waste management approaches in key-Asian countries incl. policies and legislations;
• the main challenges in regions fighting a growing e-waste avalanche
• what circular economy and other strategic approaches towards sustainability offer to solve the e-waste challenge

Ruediger Kuehr

Head, UNITAR Bonn Office & Manager SCYCLE Programme / Adjunct Professor University of Limerick (Ireland), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

• Currently restricted PFAS
• Recent news about the EU PFAS ban plan
• Pressure on the electronics industry and its supply chain

Aury Hathout

President and Lab Quality Manager, Enviropass Expertise Inc, Canada

• The rapidly changing landscape of PFAS restrictions is challenging but it's also an opportunity.
• "PFAS-free" statements establish a false equivalency with regards to safety and sustainability.
• Companies can leverage certifications and supply chain collaborations to find safer alternatives and avoid regrettable substitutes.

Catherine Rudisill

Founder & Principal, Safer Chemistry Advisory LLC

Moderator

Kelly Scanlon

Lead Sustainability Strategist, IPC International

• The presentation will briefly outline the potential risks linked to conflict minerals (such as conflict and violence, corruption and money laundering, health and safety violations, environmental damage, child and forced labor, and other human rights abuses).
• The presentation will then explore the legal framework in place for the 3TG minerals (i.e. tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold) and the obligations placed on companies under the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation and the U.S. Dodd-Frank Act.
• The presentation will also briefly examine the role of the non-binding OECD Due Diligence Guidance, the UNGPs, and the SDGs for companies in the context of conflict minerals.

Christine Nikander

Founder & CEO, Palsa & Pulk B.V.

• Overview of Stockholm Convention provisions
• Process for listing new POPs and how to engage
• POPs in electronics: restrictions and exempted uses
• What can we expect in the future?

Timo Seppälä

Senior Officer, Finnish Environment Institute (Syke)