SP Q1 2025 Membership Meeting

The Q1 2025 Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) Membership Meeting was held on January 21-22 at the MSU Management Education Center in Troy, Michigan, bringing together representatives from across the automotive value chain to collaborate on environmental sustainability.

January 21 – Pre-Meeting Workshops & Working Sessions

The event began with small group working meetings focused on specific sustainability topics.

  • The SP Responsible Battery Work Group explored EV battery end-of-life management practices, policy updates, and sustainable material sourcing, featuring insights from Call2Recycle, and ERA Environmental.
  • A Nature & Water Stewardship Workshop facilitated discussions on water metrics mapping and emerging nature reporting trends and solutions, engaging members in translating trends and insights into industry resources and guidance.
  • A session on EU Sustainability Regulations provided North American automotive organizations with guidance on regulatory trends and considerations in implementing Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requirements, led by experts from Ricardo.
  • The SP Sustainable Packaging Work Group focused on packaging waste reduction, EPR policy trends, and plastic packaging recycling with contributions from Magna, Toyota, and Fisher Packaging.

The day concluded with a networking reception, offering attendees the opportunity to connect and exchange insights.

January 22 – Membership Meeting

SP ‘s Chair Kevin Butt (Toyota Motor NA) opened the meeting with an update on recent SP members and projects, and a reflection on SP’s progress over the past year.  Kevin announced his upcoming retirement and introduced Fred Gersdorff (General Motors) as the incoming SP Board Chair. 

Fred Gersdorff and SP Vice Chair Denise Carlson (DENSO) acknowledged and thanked Kevin for his leadership and vision as Chair of SP.

The meeting continued with presentations on different sustainability programs and opportunities, including:

  • Industry Collaboration on Sustainability Reporting – SP and MEMA spoke to industry sustainability reporting requirements and a new MOU between the two organizations to work to improve efficiency in reporting.
  • Renewable Energy in the Automotive Supply Chain – Updates on the Transform: Auto program from Trio and supplier renewable energy sourcing cohorts planned to be offered over the coming quarter.
  • Raw Material Decarbonization Strategies – Presentations on CO2 footprint calculations for aluminum (Hydro Aluminum Metals USA) and science-based steel decarbonization pathways (Steel Dynamics).
  • Sustainable Operations – Case studies on integrating sustainability into manufacturing, shared by Martinrea.
  • Nature-Positive Mining – Discussion on nature impacts of mining industry and industry nature ambition efforts developed through ICMM, shared by Freeport McMoran.
  • Waste & Recycling – Presentations on leather manufacturing waste reduction (Pangea), end of life vehicle recycling strategies (Radius Recycling), automotive waste minimization (ERA Environmental), and reducing hazardous waste risks (Ecolumix).
  • Energy Optimization – an introduction to coming SP Energy Optimization Playbook for suppliers (RENEW Energy Partners).

SP Director Kellen Mahoney closed the meeting by outlining upcoming SP projects and initiatives for the next quarter. The next quarterly membership meeting will be held on April 25, 2025 in Vance, Alabama, followed by SP’s annual Innovation Summit in July.

Additional information on the membership meeting discussions, 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.

© 2025 Suppliers Partnership for the Environment