Green Electronics Council Hosts Chinese Delegation, Meets with Federal Officials

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'We look forward to being members on the team creating the next generation of electronic standards, and to working together to bring the benefits of environmental leadership to global electronics markets.'--
Ms. Hongru Song, CESI Director

Portland, OR (PRWEB) August 20, 2013

The Green Electronics Council today announced the successful conclusion of a three-day summit including a delegation from the People’s Republic of China, environmental experts from China and the United States and U.S. federal agencies. Held in Portland and Washington DC, the meetings included delegates from the Chinese Electronics Standards Institute (CESI), representatives from China’s recycling, certification and manufacturing sectors, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Star program and General Services Administration.

The delegation traveled to the United States as part of the Chinese government’s continued interest in strengthening environmental protocols and establishing their own global green purchasing policies. The Green Electronics Council organized the meetings with CESI, one of six global Product Registration Entities (PREs) who help manufacturers register products in the EPEAT green rating system. The meetings addressed a range of issues: establishing environmental standards, adopting best practices for recycling, implementing takeback programs, and determining which market areas offer the best opportunities for new environmental standards development.

“The next generation of standards will be truly global in scope. Our partnerships with CESI, the members of this delegation, our global network of PREs and other international participants are critical to the continued success of the EPEAT program,” said Robert Frisbee, CEO of the Green Electronics Council. “These stakeholders’ sincere commitment to solving climate-change issues is impressive. We look forward to our continued work together.”

Ms. Hongru Song, who led the delegation, said “All the members of this delegation and the People’s Republic of China overall are dedicated to improving environmental outcomes from our fast-growing electronics industries. Our policies focus on international cooperation, access to markets and business incentives for improved environmental performance. The EPEAT system of standards is our chosen path to pursue these goals in international markets.

“We are especially interested in EPEAT’s efforts to create a truly unified system that promotes climate health,” continued Ms. Song, who is Director and Senior Engineer of CESI. “These problems are global, and CESI is committed to being part of the solution. We look forward to being members on the team creating the next generation of electronic standards, and to working together to bring the benefits of environmental leadership to global electronics markets.”

The Chinese delegation included Director Song; Ms. Yutao Yang, Senior Engineer from CESI; Mr. Jinjui Xu, Engineer from Kingfa Science & Technology Company; and Ms. Yun Teng, Engineer from China Electrical Equipment Industry Association. In addition to Green Electronics Council staff, the American experts involved in the three-day summit were Jerry Powell, Founder of Resource Recycling and the E-Scrap Conference; and Kim Holmes, Director of Recycling for SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association.

The delegation’s visit took place as GEC launches new standards setting for Servers and Mobile Phones. These are big projects with major market impact. "Success on these new standards will depend on the ambitions, commitment, flexibility, steadfastness and hard work of stakeholders from all sectors,” said Green Electronics Council CEO Frisbee. “Participation from diverse organizations gives us great confidence that we can together advance the cause of global environmental stewardship.”

CESI and the Green Electronics Council are planning a follow-up global seminar on the next steps for global green electronics. The seminar will be held in Beijing in October. Parties interested in attending can contact the Green Electronics Council via its website.

About the Green Electronics Council
The Green Electronics Council is a non-profit organization that inspires and enables responsible environmental action in the design, purchase and recovery of electronic products. The Council achieves this mission by supporting the production of consensus-based environmental leadership standards; by operating EPEAT, the definitive global rating system for greener electronics; and by convening global thought leaders in environmental design, strategy and marketing to envision more sustainable electronics design and delivery methods. These activities work to promote a world in which electronics, throughout their lifecycle, are key contributors to global sustainability. For more information, please visit http://www.GreenElectronicsCouncil.org.

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