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Suppliers Partnership For The Environment (SPE)

Vision
Create a trade association comprised of automotive and vehicle suppliers who will work in a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create a new and innovative business-centered approach to environmental protection, to find ways to improve the environment while providing value to the participants and to share the knowledge gained from those activities with businesses of all sizes.

Mission
Provide a self-sustaining forum for large, medium and small service and product vendors who deal with small, mid-sized and large vehicle manufacturers to develop and share tools, information, knowledge, good practices and technical support to ensure that the suppliers’ products and their processes provide environmental improvement and cost savings to SPE participants.

Goals

1. Creating a self-sustaining 501 ©(6) trade association, which will demonstrate that by working cooperatively within the supply chain, private sector companies of all sizes can achieve real environmental improvements while providing value to the participants.

2. Provide a mechanism where automotive suppliers through the relationships developed in SPE can collect and share information, data and knowledge on ways to improve their environmental performance and, by utilizing EPA communication channels, share the knowledge gained through SPE activities with companies and organization’s who are not members of the organization.

3. Implement an ongoing awards program to recognize leading suppliers who actively participate in and support SPE activities.

4. Develop, as appropriate, specific tools, reports or documents that address the vision, mission and needs of the organization.

5. Provide a foundation for future activities designed to recognize and encourage new approaches in developing environmental policy.

What activities Will SPE Undertake?

The SPE membership will determine the activities that SPE will undertake and how those efforts will be organized, including the creation of Work Groups or Task Forces address to specific challenges or issues.

Issues to be initially addressed by SPE include: “Sustainability” in the auto industry and standards of activities; Tier 2 and Tier 3 training, education and technical assistance and senior management communications; metrics to evaluate environmental footprints - materials and process costs; and transactional processes.

Who May Become Members of SPE?

Members of SPE will come from a targeted list of small, medium and large companies that are currently vendors and suppliers to the automotive industry.

How Will the Activity be Funded?

Activities for 2002 will be funded by General Motors. Activities for 2003 and beyond will be funded by contributions from GM and individual suppliers based on their sales. Dues for 2003 and beyond will be determined by SPE’s members,

How Will SPE be Staffed?

Navista, Inc., (www.navista.net) a Washington, DC-based public affairs firm specializing in organizational and issues management will provide support for SPE. Navista currently provides association/coalition management and strategic counsel to the Corporate Environmental Enforcement Council (CEEC), the Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI), National Environmental Development Association (NEDA), the Performance Track Participants Association (PTPA) and the U.S. Climate Partnership Association (USCPA).

Steve Hellem, Executive Director
Mr. Hellem is the President and CEO of Navista, Inc. he will serve as the Executive Director of SPE and will provide strategic counsel to the organization. Mr. Hellem has provided strategic environmental and energy counsel to associations and corporations on both domestic and international activities for more than 20 years. He received an A.B. in Political Science from the University of Missouri, Columbia and a J.D. from the International School of Law that is today the George Mason University Law School.

Amy Goldman, Director
Ms. Goldman is a Vice President of Navista, Inc. and will serve as the Director of SPE. She will coordinate and assist in the facilitation of membership meetings, work group meetings and reports on those meetings, data management and coordination, and membership development initiatives as well as other business related issues for the association. Ms. Goldman received her Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs, Environmental, Science and Management from Indiana University in 1996 and her Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University in 2000.

For More Information:If you would like more information about SPE please contact Steve Hellem or Amy Goldman at (202-530-5910) at SPE or John Resslar of GM at (248-680-5772). EPA’s liaison with SPE is Kris Pierre (202-564-8837). NIST MEP’s liaison with SPE is Greg Waldrip (301-975-4503).

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