FCA hosts Q2 Meeting of Suppliers Partnership in Auburn Hills

The 2nd Quarter meeting of Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) was held on May 9-10, 2018 at FCA US LLC in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

On May 9, SP members began the day with a tour of SP member Battery Solutions Howell, Michigan battery recycling facility. The tour provided an opportunity to learn more about sorting, disassembly, logistics and recycling of automotive and other batteries types.

Following this tour, SP members reconvened at FCA for a meeting of SP’s Responsible Battery Work Group co-chaired by Alessandra Carreon (Ford) and Adam Muellerweiss (Johnson Controls).  Members discussed a collaborative effort between SP and the Responsible Battery Coalition designed to establish a baseline assessment of the current landscape of end-of-life management for all types of lithium-ion batteries used in vehicles in North America, and shared information on existing industry efforts focused on end of life managmenet for lithium ion and other automotive batteries.

Later that day, members participated in a meeting of SP’s Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Forum. Co-chaired by Greg Rose (FCA US LLC) and Jack Nunes (Lear Corporation), the EHS Forum is designed to provide a platform for deeper discussion, networking and exchange of ideas on key EHS challenges and opportunities facing multinational automakers and their suppliers.

The day concluded with a visit to one of the pollinator gardens on the FCA US LLC campus.  Members of SP’s Biodiveristy Work Group had the opportunity to learn more about pollinator gardens, the different types of plants used for pollinators, and to get hands-on experience with planting to support the garden.

On May 10, SP’s Chair Randy Leslie (Johnson Controls) and meeting host Greg Rose (FCA) welcomed SP members to the SP 2nd Quarter Meeting of 2018.  SP membership meetings provide an opportunity for members to share environmental best practices and strategies with their industry peers, learn about emerging issues impacting the environment and their business operations, and to identify opportunities for collaborative action through SP.

The May 10 meeting included reports and discussions regarding SP working group projects on topics including biodiversity, chemical process management, EHS and materials efficiency with SP member speakers from ERA Environmental, FCA, General Motors, Honda, Hytch, Toyota and  Waste Management. The meeting also included several guest speakers such as Jack Schinderle (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality), Eric Hespenheide (Global Reporting Initiative), George Hodge (CDP),  Kathleen Martz (US EPA SmartWay) and Margaret O’Gorman (Wildlife Habitat Council).

Special thanks to Greg Rose and the entire FCA US LLC team for their support in hosting this meeting and to Hytch Rewards for their sponsorship.

SP’s 3rd Quarter Meeting will be held on July 17-18, 2018 at ERA Environmental Management Solutions in Montreal, Quebec. Please contact us if you’d like more information.