Powering Performance

The future of reporting is almost here! Mark the date in your calendar: GRI Standards will officially launch on October 19, 2016. This follows the approval of the draft GRI Standards by the Global Sustainability Standards Board in late August, and the recent confirmation by the Due Process Oversight Committee (DPOC) that due process for developing the GRI Standards was followed. 

In 1999, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (then EDS) collaborated with European Union (EU) car manufacturers to create a material data exchange system that would penetrate throughout the supply chain. The first release of the International Material Data System (IMDS) was in 2000, and corresponded with ratification of the EU End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) directive legislation. By 2001, HPE was extending IMDS into the United States and beginning its long relationship with the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG).  By 2002, IMDS was extended into Korea and Japan and was quickly adopted in Japan as one of two automotive standards. IMDS is now used worldwide, in nine languages, by virtually all global automotive OEMs and suppliers, with over 400,000 users from more than 150,000 companies.

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, a large gathering of world leaders adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty. The summit established eight targets that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals. 

Moving the needle from theory to practice was at the heart of AIAG’s 2016 Corporate Responsibility Summit, held April 27-28, 2016, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan. Speakers addressed a variety of CR topics, providing the latest information to help participants build a business case for sustainability.

Moving the needle from theory to practice was at the heart of AIAG’s 2016 Corporate Responsibility Summit, held April 27-28, 2016, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan. Speakers addressed a variety of CR topics, providing the latest information to help participants build a business case for sustainability.

The World Economic Forum now ranks water issues as #1 on their list of worldwide risks. The nonprofit CDP recently highlighted how large-scale investors are moving money away from “traditional” investments and into equities that are meeting the global water scarcity challenge. Water-related risks abound for business. But what’s specifically at issue in the automotive supply chain? What are the main challenges? And are there opportunities in addition to risks?

The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) recently issued a call-for-action to all companies within the automotive supply chain to become fully engaged in Conflict Minerals reporting. “Your participation is critical if the industry is to achieve a transparent, conflict-free mineral supply chain, and this means supporting not only your direct customers’ requirements, but also ensuring your company’s compliance with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) conflict mineral’s rule, as applicable,” says the invitation.

On August 4, 2015, AIAG’s Conflict Minerals Briefing IV provided a greater understanding of the drivers that shape the automotive industry's due diligence for compliance with conflict minerals reporting requirements, including updates on U.S. and European legislation. A presentation titled “The Future of Global Conflict Minerals Reporting” featured Eileen H. Kane, U.S. Department of State; Michael Rohwer, CFSI; and Jennifer Guest, TetraTech. The trio shared global updates on conflict minerals requirements in Europe and China with an attentive audience.

AIAG’s Globally Harmonized System (GHS) Work Group has joined forces with the internship program at Purdue-Calumet University to create an easy-to-use reference document for chemical manufacturers, mixture companies/blenders, and distributers who must comply with the update requirements of OSHA HCS 2012.

Companies’ supply chains are increasingly affected by new laws in the U.S. and Europe that address not only materials, but also due diligence policies and practices. Many also require a manufacturer to impose requirements on its suppliers. They impact your relationship with your supplier network, and require both supplier engagement and verification.