Suppliers Partnership for the Environment
(SP) is an innovative partnership between automobile original
equipment manufacturers and their suppliers and the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). SP addresses the goals of the
membership by creating new and innovative business-centered
approaches to environmental protection that improve the
environment while providing value throughout the automobile
supply chain. SP provides a forum for small, mid-sized
and large automotive and vehicle suppliers to work together,
learn from each other and share environmental best practices.
Summit on Accelerating Innovation to Drive Sustainable Automotive
Manufacturing Growth Across North America
Why is it that advanced manufacturing innovations with the
potential to realize significant savings in key indicators
such as energy use, materials use and manufacturing costs
often fail to realize their potential global impact on business
growth and environmental sustainability? What strategic steps
can organizations in the automotive supply chain take to identify,
champion and drive the implementation of innovative processes
and technologies that improve the environment while providing
economic value to the North American automotive supply chain?
On June 26-27, 2013 on Oakland University’s campus
in Rochester, Michigan, the Suppliers Partnership
for the Environment (SP), Commission for
Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and Oakland
University will co-host the first Summit
on Accelerating Innovation to Drive Sustainable Automotive
Manufacturing Growth Across North America to
explore this issue.
“The Summit on Accelerating Innovation has been designed
to bring a diverse group of leaders from across the North
American automotive supply chain together to understand and
explore the barriers presently limiting the widespread adoption
of environmentally and economically impactful advanced manufacturing
process innovations. Through lean process driven breakout
discussions, the Summit seeks to create a collaborative environment
to explore opportunities to drive new innovations through
the automotive supply chain,” said Steve Hellem, Executive
Director, Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP).
Covanta 4Recovery Hosts SP 2nd Quarter Meeting in Indianapolis
On May 7-8, Covanta 4Recovery hosted the
Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP)'s 2nd Quarter
Membership Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. Meeting participants
had a unique first hand opportunity to learn more about the
energy from waste process and the national Covanta network
of energy from waste (EfW) facilities through a guided tour
of Covanta's
Indianapolis EfW facility during the meeting.
Pictured: (L) Denise Coogan, SIA; (R)
Maria Milescu, Chrysler
During the meeting representatives of SP member companies
operating in Indiana - including Chrylser, GM and Subaru -
provided strategies and case examples in support of reducing
waste to landfill while strengthening the bottom line, and
discussed the value of building supplier partnerships in finding
sustainable solutions to challenging waste streams and achieving
corporate sustainability goals. In addition, SP member companies
shared innovative technologies, processes and practices to
improve environmental sustainability across the supply chain.
For more information on participation in SP, please
contact Kellen Mahoney, Program Manager at kmahoney@navista.net.
Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) Southern
Supply Chain Network
On February 19, General Motors hosted the
Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP)'s Southern
Supply Chain Forum on Improving Materials Efficiency
at its GM Spring Hill Manufacturing Complex in Spring Hill,
Tennessee. The meeting provided a forum for over 100 automakers,
suppliers, recycling solution providers and government representatives
to discuss waste reduction challenges and identify opportunities
for collaboration in the Southeast United States.
Pictured: (L) Jim Laney, DENSO; (R) Kevin
Reinhart, Calsonic Kansei
During the meeting automotive manufacturers and suppliers
including General Motors, DENSO
and CalsonicKansei shared best practices
for recycling and reuse, and discussed opportunities for collaboration
through the supply chain in the Southeast United States to
reach waste reduction goals.
Pictured: (L-R) Pat Van Ryckeghem, Holley
Hanes and John Bradburn, GM with a birdhouse made from Volt
scrap battery cover; (R) Participants discuss environmental
sustainability collaboration opportunities
“Compared to other regions where GM has plants, the
Southeast has opportunity to build up its recycling economy,”
said John Bradburn, GM manager of waste-reduction efforts.
“By connecting local recyclers – and those with
potential – with area companies, we can start to address
the gaps and build a more robust infrastructure that will
help the auto industry and beyond to leave a smaller footprint."
For more information on participation in SP, please
contact Kellen Mahoney, Program Manager at kmahoney@navista.net.
SP 1st Quarter Membership Meeting - January 16, 2013
On January 16, Gage
Products Company hosted SP's 1st Quarter Membership
Meeting in the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit, MI. During
the meeting Gage Products recognized SP "for its environmental
stewardship in working with OEM's and suppliers to enhance
sustainability and corporate social responsibility while helping
Gage Products Company achieve 25 years of purge solvent remanufacturing."
Read
more.
SP Executive Director, Steve Hellem,
and Vice-Chair, Russell Brynolf of FTS Technologies, accept
an award from Mark Wiseman and Andy Welch of Gage Products
Company on behalf of SP; (right) Jim Jones, US EPA
During the course of the meeting, General Motors
presented its annual Environmental
Excellence Award to SP member GDC Inc.
for its consistent collaboration in supplying recycled-content
parts and contributing to community-based stewardship and
recycling initiatives. GDC was instrumental in helping insulate
sleeping
bags for the homeless and turning
oil-soaked booms into parts for the Chevrolet Volt.
General Motors presents the GDC team
with the GM Environmental Excellence Award: GM’s Lee Hachigian;
GDC’s Chris Miller, Jeff Barber and Andy Kitson; GM’s Wade
Sheffer; (right) Sylvia Gucken and Christopher Lara, Ideal
Group, discuss Cadillac
Urban Gardens
In addition to discussions of SP Work Group activities focused
on Chemicals Management, Energy Management, Materials Efficiency,
Renewable Energy and Technology / Innovation, the meeting
featured guest speakers from organizations such as The Empowerment
Plan, Ford Motor Company, Ideal Group and the Sustainable
Purchasing Council. In addition, SP EPA liasions Jim Jones,
Acting Assistant Administrator and Matt Bogoshian, Senior
Policy Counsel provided an update on activities of EPA's Office
of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP).
Rob Threlkeld, Global Manager - Renewable
Energy, General Motors; (right) Sheryl Connelly, Manager,
Global Trends and Futuring, Ford Motor Company
For more information on SP, please contact
Kellen Mahoney, Program Manager at kmahoney@navista.net.
SP Canada Environmental Sustainability Forum
On December 4, the Commission
for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) hosted the Suppliers
Partnership for the Environment (SP) Canada's Environmental
Sustainability Forum in Toronto, Ontario as part of the
CEC's project on "Improving the economic and environmental
performance of the North American Automotive Industry Supply
Chain". The meeting was designed to provide a unique
forum for automakers and their suppliers in Canada to network,
learn from each other and share tools and environmental sustainability
best practices in key areas such as energy efficiency, waste
minimization and water efficiency.
Pictured: Participants at SP Canada Environmental
Sustainability Forum
"As we launch SP's new North American Work Group and
drive continued growth of our SP Canada and Alianza Verde
Automotriz (AVA) programs, we look forward to continued opportunities
for automakers, their suppliers and government representatives
to work together to improve environmental performance while
increasing value throughout the automotive supply chain across
North America," said Steve Hellem, SP's Executive Director.
Scrap Vehicle Material Insulates Coats for Homeless
Leftover sound absorbing material from production of GM vehicles
is being used by the homeless to create their own self-heated,
waterproof coats that transform into sleeping bags. The weather
protection gear is the vision of Veronika Scott, a Detroit
humanitarian whose Empowerment
Plan is working with SP members General Motors
and GDC Inc. for the source material.
Sonozorb™, the insulating material, is manufactured
in different shapes to fit within door cavities and vehicle
compartments for sound absorption. Automotive supplier GDC
makes the coat insulation material exclusively from the leftover
scrap, reprocessing it for reuse.
GM donated 2,000 yards of material, enough to make 400 coats.
Partnering for Profit and Planet: SP meets at DENSO Manufacturing
Tennessee
On October 10, SP members representing automotive OEMs,
suppliers and the US EPA met at DENSO
Manufacturing Tennessee for SP's quarterly membership
forum. The discussion focused on environmental sustainability
in the automotive supply chain, providing a forum for
members to work together, learn from each other and share
environmental best practices in areas such as green chemistry,
byproduct synergy, innovative manufacturing technologies
and energy management programs. Read
more about the meeting in The Daily Times.
Pictured: Participants at SP's October
10 Meeting
On
October 11, SP members led a breakout session at the 2012
Southern Automotive Conference (SAC) in Chattanooga,
TN on integrating sustainability into manufacturing
performance.The breakout session highlighted the
collaborative work being done through SP to solve shared
sustainability challenges. It provided methods and examples
that impact businesses material efficiency and manufacturing
processes with a focus on improving a company’s
bottom line while helping to meet sustainability goals.
Panelists emphasized the strong business value in sustainability
initiatives in not only protecting the environment, but
in helping organizations to reduce costs, build revenue,
increase efficiencies, engage stakeholders and promote
innovation. Read
more.
Pictured: (L-R) Matt Bogoshian,U.S.
EPA; John Bradburn, GM;
Pat Van Ryckeghem, GM Spring Hill Manufacturing; Russell
Brynolf, FTS Technologies
On
October 11, SP members led a breakout session at the 