<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div><div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:16px 0;text-align:left" width="780"><tbody><tr><td style="background:transparent" valign="top"><br></td></tr><tr><td height="18" width="520"><br></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#f9f9f9"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="520"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#f9f9f9" width="28"><br></td><td bgcolor="#f9f9f9" colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:10px" valign="top" width="728"><div>Intl Campaign for Responsible Technology<br><span content="2015-03-02T00:00:00-05:00">March 2, 2015</span><br><a href="https://vr2.verticalresponse.com/emails/2199023284135?contact_id=2199031681537&sk=aeLAB2JgCjBIHyohRAP0F5MGT-MEhRFK_VE9TSvuDY6Q=/aHR0cDovL3ZyMi52ZXJ0aWNhbHJlc3BvbnNlLmNvbS9lbWFpbHMvMjE5OTAyMzI4NDEzNT9jb250YWN0X2lkPTIxOTkwMzE2ODE1Mzc=/XXJmwoSTiJ7y5jPq1LwZrA" target="_blank">Intl Campaign for Responsible Technology</a></div>
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<div><em>In January 2015, the International Campaign for Responsible Technology (ICRT), the GoodElectronics Network plus more than 60 expert allies from 15 countries met, discussed and drafted a CALL concerning the hazards of chemicals used in the global electronics supply chain.</em></div>
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<div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://portside.org/sites/default/files/field/image/IntlCampaignREsponsibleTech.jpg" width="300px" align="center"><br><div style="font-size:10px;width:300px;margin:0 auto">Intl Campaign for Responsible Technology, <a href="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/tX4hEjHT6eaOyAtiAbQU3jVshKIebnZbnmN5XCkjhX0x0p6jkroVxD2u1YSK85B9p_Bc0E1i5lo-dxNzZ-PF1KVZtfK-SnJLJRLlvDD-eGzraRRxidb0J2M9SYrrIu1Vw3rO7PxqVS8HZUFnUThbq6BCKiIoHody=s0-d-e1-ft#https://d39ucq4owy475f.cloudfront.net/email" target="_blank">Intl Campaign for Responsible Technology</a>, </div>
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<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">In January 2015, the International Campaign for Responsible Technology (ICRT), the GoodElectronics Network plus a broad base of more than 60 expert allies from 15 countries came together to discuss the hazards of chemicals used in the global electronics supply chain. During the 4-day meeting, <strong>"A Challenge to the Global Electronics Industry to Adopt Safer and More Sustainable Products and Practices, and Eliminate Hazardous Chemicals, Exposures and Discharges" </strong>was drafted outlining our concerns, views and demands on the industry with regard to the responsible use of chemicals during the production process and throughout the lifecycle.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">It was adopted unanimously by everyone attending.</span></p>
<p> We are now inviting organizations and individuals to endorse this <strong>Challenge</strong>. We intend to present the endorsed <strong>Challenge</strong> to the electronics industry in mid-March.</p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">If you have any questions, please contact:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">Ted Smith<br>
International Campaign for Responsible Technology<br>
San Jose, CA USA<br><a href="mailto:tsmith@igc.org" target="_blank">tsmith@igc.org</a><br>
+ <a href="tel:%28408%29242-6707" value="+14082426707" target="_blank">(408)242-6707</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">Pauline Overeem<br>
GoodElectronics<br>
Amsterdam, Netherlands<br><a href="mailto:p.overeem@goodelectronics.org" target="_blank">p.overeem@goodelectronics.org</a><br>
<a href="tel:%2B31%2020%206391%20291" value="+31206391291" target="_blank">+31 20 6391 291</a><br>
The Electronics Challenge</span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">A Challenge to the Global Electronics Industry to Adopt Safer and More Sustainable Products and Practices, and Eliminate Hazardous Chemicals, Exposures and Discharges</span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">The Challenge</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">The International Campaign for Responsible Technology (ICRT), the Good Electronics Network, and their allies, are challenging electronics brands, manufacturers, and suppliers to proactively reduce and eliminate chemical and physical hazards through the development and adoption of safer alternatives. We are addressing industry, governments and others involved in the life cycle of electronic products from material extraction and processing to product manufacturing, distribution, retail, use, and post-use recycling and disposal. ICRT and Good Electronics embrace and emphasize the underlying principles of the Internalization of External costs and Extended Producer Responsibility.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif"><u>Human Rights, Worker Rights and Environmental Protections</u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">The overarching goal is sustainable production that is safe, healthy, environmentally sound, and just. To achieve that goal, the electronics industry must recognize the following human rights and worker rights:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">• Right to safe and healthy workplace. It is the industry’s responsibility to ensure effective workplace protections so that workers do not get sick or injured.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">• Right to healthy communities and a safe environment, free from harm caused by materials used or disposed throughout the product lifecycle.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">• Right to know what hazards are present in the workplace, all chemicals that are there, and what is discharged into the environment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">• Right to an effective remedy when harm has occurred. This includes compensation for workers made sick or injured, and liability for harming the community or the environment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">• Right of workers to organize without interference and bargain collectively.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif"><u>Action and Changes Needed</u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">Specifically, we have identified six key areas for change and action for electronics brands, manufacturers and their suppliers:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">1. Be transparent. Provide full materials disclosure to workers, communities, and the general public, including what chemicals are being used and discharged, and what hazards to the environment and humans (including reproductive hazards) are known to be associated with the chemicals.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">2. Use safer chemicals. Assess hazardous materials used in manufacturing throughout the product lifecycle and replace them with safer alternatives. Where the environmental or human health effects of a substance are unknown, its use shall be avoided; where it is inadequately or incompletely characterized, the precautionary principle shall apply until all relevant hazard testing is available.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">3. Protect Workers. Develop and implement, jointly with affected and other interested workers and their organizations, comprehensive hazard monitoring for all workplaces and workers throughout the product lifecycle. This includes training, capacity building, and industrial monitoring as well as monitoring to measure exposures and health surveillance to identify and prevent diseases. Workers shall be able to negotiate over hazardous working conditions and refuse hazardous work without fear of retaliation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">4. Guarantee participation. Respect efforts of workers and communities to participate in the sound management of chemicals and wastes in their workplaces and communities. This includes the development of effective worker health and safety committees and training programs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">5. Protect communities and the environment. Prevent harm throughout the product lifecycle Conduct effective, transparent, independent monitoring of all discharge streams. Eliminate hazardous discharges to air, waterways, and land.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">6. Compensate and remediate for harm to people and environment. Develop and fund mechanisms that ensure that workers (present and former, and their families) or communities harmed by exposure to hazardous chemicals receive emergency relief and just compensation. Develop funding mechanisms to ensure environmental and workplace remediation for as long as is needed to address the harm.</span></p>
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