North America June 8 – Evolve Agenda

Beth Comstock, former vice-chair of GE, talks about how to bring about meaningful change within organizations and get your voice heard.

Complex manufacturers can’t go to market without product compliance, but it’s not the only supply chain consideration to be aware of. Sustainability is now a business imperative as companies are being held accountable for their total supply chain impacts. The intense focus on ESG, human rights due diligence, and sustainable practices means deep, defensible data from your supply chain is more important now than ever. To manage these demands effectively, manufacturers should align their ESG and compliance teams to launch their greater supply chain sustainability efforts.

What you’ll learn:

• How to bring out the best in your product compliance programs and ESG efforts, and why both efforts are part of the same sustainability journey.
• How to elevate supplier engagement, get smarter insights, and gain deeper, more defensible data by optimizing the way sustainability professionals and product compliance specialists work together.
• Why suppliers and part information are crucial to supply chain sustainability management.
• How ESG professionals can use product compliance as a foundation to tackle the complex challenges of supply chain sustainability.

If you’re new to ESG programs, you’ve likely learned how complex the process can be for manufacturers. By its nature, ESG is a sprawling topic that impacts nearly every aspect of your business, but understanding supply chains should be the top priority for manufacturers.

If you’re already reporting on ESG, you know that obtaining ESG data from your supply chain is a challenge. You need to be able to gather and validate the information from thousands of suppliers, on tens of thousands of parts and their downstream suppliers, as well as keep it up to date, in an efficient and scalable way.

In this session, an experienced expert who’s built a successful ESG program for their company will provide insights into the process and explain why product compliance is the right place to start.

What you’ll learn:

• How to set up a supply chain due diligence program for ESG risks and performance from scratch.
• How to assess what’s material to your goals and where to start to make the most meaningful impact for your business.
• The next steps in building a scalable ESG program from wherever you are in the process (even step zero).
• How to educate and engage suppliers who are also in the early stages of their ESG journey.

Data is at the core of regulatory compliance, market access, and corporate sustainability, but for complex manufacturers, getting this data is easier said than done — and knowing what to do with it is even harder. Each piece of product and part data has multiple dimensions that need to be analyzed through a product compliance and sustainability lens. When done effectively, this full supply chain view de-risks compliance programs, drives deeper sustainability insights, and future-proofs your supply chain against emerging threats.

This session is for product compliance professionals, supply chain managers, and sustainability specialists who want to see deeper into their supply chains to expose risks and improve market access.

What you’ll learn:

• How to effectively collect the data you’ll need to demonstrate a robust compliance program for regulators and investors — including sustainability, human rights, RoHS, REACH, TSCA, and others.
• How to see deeper into your supply chain and why you can’t rely on supplier codes of conduct alone.
• How to use supplier surveys and media monitoring to protect your business, avoid unreliable data, and proactively anticipate regulatory pressures.

If your product compliance management looks the same as it did two years ago, it’s already outdated. The compliance landscape is constantly evolving, and today’s risks are very different from last year’s, including new stringent regulations; updated requirements for TSCA, REACH, and SCIP; and a commitment from many regulators to increase enforcement. There’s also increased scrutiny on the impact of supply chains on human rights and the environment, turning product compliance into a crucial brand protection program in addition to market access requirements.

What you’ll learn:

• Expert predictions on the main product compliance regulations impacting global complex manufacturers.
• The new risks of non-compliance and how enforcement has increased.
• What new regulations and requirements are on the way.
• How to update your compliance program to get ready for what’s next.

For complex manufacturers, reactive product compliance programs present long-term risks. In contrast, proactive supply chain sustainability management programs are agile, flexible, and build toward a coherent vision of the future. Shifting your company from a reactive approach to a proactive approach is a challenge, but getting it right can make all the difference in the world. It will boost your ability to anticipate and mitigate risks, improve your ability to enter markets with confidence, and make the planet a better place for all of us to live.

What you’ll learn:

• The four stages of supply chain program maturity.
• How to assess where your company stands today, and how to get to the next level.
• How to embrace a supply chain sustainability management approach that protects your company from changes to regulations like TSCA, REACH, SCIP, and more.

Our panel will share real-world experiences of how organizations are building and retaining powerful sustainability teams in a world where these talents are in high demand.

Finding the right people is hard enough, but that’s just the beginning. To keep great people you need to put them in the right roles, ensure that their work is challenging and rewarding, and be clear about how they can advance in their careers without job-hopping elsewhere. This is a multi-dimensional challenge involving the smart use of people and technology, and a multi-functional challenge that spans product compliance, ESG, and beyond.

What you’ll learn:

• How to develop your own successful people program, complete with career progression, training, technology, and retention.
• How to reduce staffing and talent-related risks in your compliance and sustainability programs.
• The talent and recruiting outlook for 2022 and beyond.

According to a recent Gartner study, over 85 percent of major investors consider ESG factors in their investment decisions. And greenwashing won’t do. A robust and defensible ESG program isn’t a “nice to have,” it’s a must-have, and it can’t be done without data from deep in the supply chain. Now is the time for leaders to support compliance with regulatory requirements and lean on supply chain professionals to ensure ESG programs are worth the time and effort.

What you’ll learn:

• The bottom-line benefits of creating a robust ESG program — and how to convince management to invest in the right capabilities.
• What investors want to see in your ESG program, how ESG scoring works, and the red flags they’re always on the lookout for.
• How to determine the ROI of a sustainability program.

Supply chains, which are longer and more deeply connected than ever, have been hit by unprecedented shock after shock. Emerging threats include sanctions related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and sourcing requirements under the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). This session is all about empowering supply chain managers with the deep visibility necessary to reveal hidden risks and preserve market access, no matter what happens next.

What you’ll learn:

• How to efficiently track supply chain data such as country of origin to effectively identify supplier risk, all while building healthier supplier relationships that support your program.
• How to see deeper into where materials and minerals are sourced, whose hands they touch, and the market access risks that have emerged for complex manufacturers.
• How to take a proactive approach that keeps you ahead of new regulatory requirements and the changing geopolitical landscape.

Even better than a crystal ball, this regulatory round-up features expert guidance on what key supply chain topics will impact manufacturers in the years to come — and what to do about them. Stay on top of the rapidly changing product compliance and ESG landscape with expert guidance and tips you can start using in your role immediately.

What you’ll learn:

• What’s just over the horizon for your business and what steps you should take right now to be prepared for SCIP, TSCA, Proposition 65, REACH, RoHS, and more.
• The emerging regulatory and business imperatives driving ESG and how to do it effectively.

Join us to say goodbye, and have a bit of fun on the way out too. There will be special prizes and a closing remarks from Assent expert James Calder.