WASHINGTON, D.C., January 23, 2012 – The Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition® (EICC®) and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) today announced that Dr. Steven B. Young has been appointed to the Conflict-Free Smelter (“CFS”) Program Audit Review Committee (“ARC”).

Dr. Young, Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), will provide an independent, technical perspective to the audit review process and will also be responsible for identifying opportunities to improve the overall efficacy of the CFS Program. Dr. Young joins company representatives from the EICC, GeSI, and the Automotive Industry Action Group (“AIAG”) already part of the ARC. The ARC, upon review of the third party audit report on a smelter’s procurement activities, makes the final determination whether the evidence supports a smelter being found compliant with the CFS protocol.

“Dr. Young’s focus on approaches for sustainability assessment, assurance, and management of products and materials will strengthen the EICC and GeSI approach to the CFS assessments”, said Mumtaz Ahmed, ARC Coordinator. “The intersection of Dr. Young’s mining and materials knowledge with his experience working with government agencies, international associations, and multinational corporations will provide significant benefits as the EICC and GeSI further their leadership with the CFS Program.”

“The EICC and GeSI have created a program that can enable companies in any industry to source responsibly. I am pleased to contribute my mining, metal, environmental, and sustainability knowledge and experience to furthering the work of the EICC and GeSI and to the CFS program”, said Dr. Young.

Dr. Young’s research focuses on approaches for sustainability assessment, assurance, and management of products and materials. He is Director of the undergraduate Environment and Business program at the University of Waterloo, the top-ranked undergraduate degree in Canada that integrates sustainability into a business education. Dr. Young, a registered professional engineer, joined the University of Waterloo faculty in 2007 after more than a decade of environmental management consulting. He has degrees in metallurgical engineering from the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto, including a doctorate in Metallurgy and Materials Science from the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with a focus on life cycle assessment.

In addition to teaching courses in environmental management systems, environmental auditing and carbon management, Dr. Young is principal at his own consulting firm based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, a consultancy dedicated to strategies and solutions for more sustainable materials. While in this role, he was the lead researcher on the study Social and Environmental Responsibility in Metals Supply to the Electronic Industry, a report commissioned in 2008 by the EICC and GeSI that was used to educate EICC and GeSI members on how several metals used in electronic products are mined, recycled, purchased. Dr. Young has participated in many onsite visits of mining and metals operations, including work with numerous companies and industry associations involved in production of metals including copper, nickel, gold, iron, aluminum, and zinc.

Throughout his academic and professional career, Dr. Young has completed over 40 life cycle studies covering areas including metals and mining, automotive, building components and renewable energy technologies. Dr. Young sits on the Board of Directors of the non-profit Sustainable Waterloo, the Editorial Board of Greenhouse Gas Measurement & Management, and is an active member of the International Society for Industrial Ecology.

About EICC® (Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition®)
The EICC was established in 2004 to improve social, economic, and environmental conditions in the global electronic supply chain through use of a standardized code of conduct. The EICC was incorporated in 2007 as an association to ensure greater awareness of the Code, and to expand its adoption across the industry. The EICC includes over 60 global electronics companies. For more information or to view the EICC Code of Conduct, see www.eicc.info or the latest EICC annual report.

About GeSI (Global e-Sustainability Initiative)
The Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) is a strategic partnership of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector and organisations committed to creating and promoting technologies and practices that foster economic, environmental and social sustainability. Formed in 2001, GeSI’s vision is a sustainable world through responsible, ICT-enabled transformation. GeSI fosters global and open cooperation, informs the public of its members’ voluntary actions to improve their sustainability performance, and promotes technologies that foster sustainable development. GeSI has 30 members representing leading companies and associations from the ICT sector. GeSI also partners with two UN organizations - the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) - as well as a range of international stakeholders committed to ICT sustainability objectives. These partnerships help shape GeSI’s global vision regarding the evolution of the ICT sector, and how it can best meet the challenges of sustainable development. For more information, see www.gesi.org.

For more information, contact:

Alice Valvodova
GeSI
+32 2 282 8442
press@gesi.org

Wendy Dittmer           
EICC                   
+1-512-934-8922           
wdittmer@eicc.info