SP 2024 Innovation Summit Event Recap – Day 1

Held in Columbus, Ohio on July 24-25, the 2024 SP Innovation Summit brought together over 350 representatives from across the automotive value chain to discuss challenges and opportunities in addressing industry sustainability priorities.

On July 24, the Summit’s opening plenary session focused in detail on challenges and opportunities in effectively advancing industry decarbonization efforts within manufacturing operations and through the value chain on the path toward carbon neutrality.

The program began with an OEM panel discussion on corporate carbon neutrality goals and their impacts on the extended supply chain, including customer carbon reporting and reduction requests, along with collaborative initiatives to engage and support suppliers in this effort. The panel was moderated by Ahmed Elganzouri (Magna), and featured Alyssa Barbuto (Honda), Arlene Salvatore (Ford), Fred Gersdorff (General Motors), and Kevin Butt (Toyota). The panel touched on several topics being addressed within SP’s carbon neutrality work group, including a recently announced scope 3 questionnaire collaboration.

SP’s Executive Director Steve Hellem then moderated an executive discussion on leading trends, barriers and opportunities in decarbonizing transportation and logistics, featuring Mitch Jackson (FedEx, retired) and Bill Combs (Penske). The discussion highlighted several emerging priority topics being addressed within a new SP transportation and logistics decarbonization work group.

The session closed with a panel featuring representatives of suppliers of different commodities important to automotive speaking to industry-wide outlooks, strategies, and challenges in decarbonizing their segment of the industry. The panel was moderated by Eric Harrington (American Axle) and featured Gene Carswell (AGC Automotive Americas), Jeff Hansen, (Steel Dynamics), Lauren Wilk (Arconic), J. Duncan Pitchford (Hydro), and Alan Shirley (Hankook Tire).

The Summit’s afternoon plenary session took a broader look at a range of challenges and opportunities in accelerating industry efforts towards a low-carbon circular materials economy. The session touched on topics ranging from externalities created by sourced materials, sustainable chemistry design and selection, mass balance allocation of sustainable input materials, and applying AI to sustainable product design. The session was moderated by Shaun Miller (Envita Solutions) with featured speakers including Jesse Henry (Heartland), Rui Resendes (Change Chemistry), Mohamed Bouguettaya (BASF), and David Hoffman (Makersite).

The session concluded with an Innovation Showcase featuring three succinct sustainable innovation-focused pitches, including:

  • Transforming Supply Chains & Driving Competitive Advantage via ‘Dynamic’ Product Carbon Footprints: Martin Chilcott, CEO, Manufacture 2030
  • Circular Economy & Circular Design Case Study using Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) Totes and Containers: Steve Sopher; Vice President, Technology, JSP
  • From River Waste to Sustainable Pallets: Tammy Becker, CEO, Green Current Solutions

Throughout the event, Summit attendees had the opportunity to participate in a series of smaller group interactive breakout sessions. The first day’s breakout session speakers and moderators included representatives of organizations such as: Action Wood 360, Circulor, CSX, FigBytes powered by AMCS Group, General Motors, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORBIS, Penske, Sphera, STRIVE by STX, The Water Council, TLD Logistics, Toyota Tsusho America, and, US EPA SmartWay.

During the event Fred H. Gersdorff of Brown City, Michigan was recognized as an Honorary Member of Suppliers Partnership For The Environment, in a special presentation with SP’s Chair Kevin Butt.

A special thank you to each of our sponsors for their support of this year’s event, including: Toyota Motor North America, Action Wood 360, Cirba Solutions, Envita Solutions, FigBytes powered by AMCS Group, GLYNT AI, Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, Manufacture 2030, Makersite, ORBIS, Proxima Group, STRIVE by STX, Trio, Fire Rover, Foresight Management + Cornerstone, and iPoint.

All event photos by Paul Vernon.

See part two, with more details on the next day’s Summit sessions.

SP’s next membership meeting is scheduled to be held on October 23-24 at Honda in Marysville, Ohio. As always, SP members and collaborators are encouraged to reach out to learn more about how to get involved in SP work group activities and initiatives and to share your ideas to keep moving us toward our shared vision of an automotive industry with positive environmental impact.

Additional information on the Summit, including event photos, presentations and next steps, is available to current SP member companies. Please contact us if you’d like to learn more about SP and opportunities to participate as a member.

© 2024 Suppliers Partnership for the Environment