Powering Performance

Aggressively addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment continues to be an active and ongoing priority for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As part of these efforts, EPA sought public input on new draft guidance that outlines which imported articles are covered by the agency’s July 2020 final rule that prohibits companies from manufacturing, importing, processing, or using certain long-chain PFAS without prior EPA review and approval.

GRI’s Business Leadership Forum Offers Opportunity to Build Knowledge and Expertise

​How is your organization meeting growing expectations to measure and report on waste prevention, and take advantages of the opportunities presented by circularity?

A report assessing the regulatory landscape for sustainability reporting has found that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure has never been more pervasive globally — and is now firmly in the mainstream of disclosure on organizational performance. As the market implications of certain ESG topics become more evident, interest in the quality of disclosures is also sharpening.

In a much overlooked but certain to be impactful provision of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which came into force on July 1, 2020, Canada agreed to impose a prohibition on the importation of goods that are produced in whole or in part by forced or compulsory labour.

The Committee for Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC) supports France and Sweden’s proposal to restrict the use of skin sensitizing substances in clothing, footwear, and other articles with similar skin contact. If adopted, the restriction will prevent many people from developing new skin allergies while also relieving the symptoms of many of those who already have them. This is expected to result in health benefits equivalent to at least €708 million per year.

Recently, AIAG had an opportunity to offer an automotive-industry perspective on human rights due diligence for a new report from Investor Advocates for Social Justice (IASJ).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken the next step to implement an important perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) requirement of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Under the updated regulation, certain PFAS have been added into the Code of Federal Regulations for the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).

The Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability will both help to protect citizens and the environment better against hazardous chemicals and encourage innovation for the development of safe and sustainable alternatives. It will set a vision and a comprehensive framework for action where all parties — including industry — should work together to combine better health and environmental protection and increased global competitiveness.

At AIAG’s Virtual 2020 CR Summit April 28–29, sustainable packaging expert Martina Prox will provide future-forward ideas on how zero-waste methodologies can align waste elimination with circular economy principles.

Most scientific reports on climate look at changes that have occurred since the pre-industrial era, or since record-keeping began. But even looking back at the past decade, it’s clear that our world today is very different from the world of 2010. Analyzing data on greenhouse gas (GHGs) concentrations, temperature rise, sea level rise and more reveal troubling trends.