Global Focus on Regulations

Chemical- and product-oriented regulations continue to expand globally, and GE’s EHS, Sourcing, Technology and Research teams continue to expend increasingly significant efforts managing these changing dynamics in conjunction with GE’s evolving operations and product portfolios, taking the necessary steps to minimize risk and ensure compliance.

Combined with GE initiatives such as ecomagination and research in nanotechnology, product stewardship continues to be critically important. GE continues to invest in sound operating practices, training programs and digital-enabling tools to ensure sustained performance. Examples include the release of a Product Stewardship toolkit as an interactive, user-friendly and relevant framework in support of R&D, Product Design/Re-design and launch-to-market. GE’s Gensuite^® applications have also continued expanding in utility to further accommodate information management needs for chemical notifications, constituent management, GHS classifications and others.

GE continues to utilize cross-business task forces and similar global networks to focus on achieving and maintaining compliance with the global expansion of these types of regulations, including that of the European Union’s REACH regulation, and legislation in the EU and elsewhere related to Waste Electronics Takeback and Restrictions on Hazardous Substances in certain manufactured products. Other notable programs include the expansion of internal guidelines on environmental, health and safety practices related to use of nanoscale materials, as well as continuing to grow GE activities in external governmental, nongovernmental (e.g., ISO TC227) and advisory groups supporting sound definition and management of such materials.