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Merck and Panasonic Among Speakers at GDE’s End of Life Trends Session

Platinum Conference Sponsor:

Insight Media, sponsor of the upcoming Green Display Expo (GDE) scheduled for October 27th, Washington, DC is pleased to announce that Werner Becker, Senior Director, Technology & Head of Global LC Regulatory Affairs, Liquid Crystals Division, Merck KGaA; David Thompson, Director of Corporate Environmental Department, Panasonic Corporation of North America; and Walter Alcorn, President of Alcorn Consulting are scheduled to present in the End of Life Trends session. Abstracts for these presentations are listed below. For the complete conference agenda, please go to: http://www.greendisplayexpo.com/agenda.htm.

Many states and municipalities are planning, or have already instituted, regulations that force display manufacturers to participate in display recycling efforts. We will be analyzing the recycling regulations in the US and discussing the direct impact on the display manufacturers, as well as the impact on the display designs being created today. From the manufacturers’ perspective, the current and future e-waste situation will lead to alliances that minimize the cost impact on each manufacturer.

While CRTs are the most disposed of display today, this will change in the near future. Flat panel displays have become the standard for almost every consumer display application today, and as LCD panels begin to dominate the waste stream, alternative methods for dealing with this type of display are being developed. This alternative method will be discussed in the End of Life Trends session.

This one-day event will be held at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, Washington DC. The conference is the first to focus on the growing importance of a green display strategy that incorporates technology, policy, regulatory and business elements.

Abstracts for this session follow:

Werner Becker, Senior Director, Technology & Head of Global LC Regulatory Affairs, Liquid Crystals Division, Merck KGaA
Environmental Responsibility at Merck: Sustainability and Green Product Policy
As one of the leading manufacturers of high-tech display materials Merck is strongly committed to sustainability and green product policy. Hence, we aim at environment-friendly, safe and law-conform products and processes. In this paper the following examples are given: a) compliance of our products with legislation (RoHS, REACH etc.) and voluntary industry initiatives (‘Halogen-free policy’), and particularly b) two novel eco-efficient LCD recovery processes in metallurgy and industrial waste incineration which comply with European electronic waste regulations. These were developed by Merck following the principles of responsible care and product stewardship that the company is fully committed to. Moreover, the aim was to find processes that are eco-efficient and can be carried-out in existing facilities. The developed recovery processes fulfill these requirements whereas, for various reasons, a real recycling of waste LCD panels would neither be economic nor eco-efficient.

David Thompson, Director of Corporate Environmental Department
Panasonic Corporation of North America
Sustainable E-Waste Recycling: A Manufacturer Perspective

The Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, LLC (MRM) was formed to bring manufacturers together into a collaborative effort to address the e-waste recycling challenge we all face in the US. A growing patchwork of state laws is increasingly taxing the ability of individual manufacturers to respond with meaningful recycling initiatives. MRM was established to provide a turn-key solution to this growing challenge. This presentation will introduce MRM's activities, as well as MRM's future plans for a national recycling system open to all manufacturers.

Walter Alcorn, President, Alcorn Consulting
Impact of State Recycling Programs on the Manufacturers & Retailers
With 19 states and New York City requiring manufacturers of displays to recycle and/or finance recycling programs in some manner, what are the impacts to the display industry? How does the patchwork of state approaches affect manufacturers and retailers in the industry, and will it lead to greener design? Specific topics to be addressed include:

What are the specific display products covered by these mandates, and how
does the product scope vary across jurisdiction?

What users of display products must be provided free collection and/or
recycling services (free to the user/generator of old displays, but paid for by the manufacturer)?

What compliance strategies are manufacturers employing, or experimenting
with, in response to these mandates?

Voluntary recycling initiatives by display manufacturers and retailers: how do these fit into the picture?

The link between greener design and recycling – does it and can it ever exist?

Crystal balling display recycling in the U.S. – what does the future hold?

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

Business Leaders
Display industry technologists
Product planners at consumer electronics companies
Policy and regulatory planners at government agencies and key consumer electronics companies
Marketing executives
Test agencies

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING:

Understand the full scope of technology, regulatory and competitive forces
shaping the green display industry
Identify areas of opportunity
Identify areas of concern
Gain competitive intelligence
Business development
Network with all groups involved in the development, marketing, testing and standardizing of "green" displays

SPONSORSHIPS
Platinum and Gold Sponsorships are available. Become a Sponsor -- increase your company’s visibility! Our Sponsorship packages offer many benefits, including tabletop booth space.

Click here for more detailed Sponsorship information.

EXHIBITION SPACE
Tabletop exhibition space is available for $1,000.00. Tabletops will be located in the foyer, just outside the conference room. Click here for complete Exhibition details.

REGISTRATION
Full one-day conference registration is $425.00. Government employees receive a 20% discount.

CONFERENCE CONTACT: Insight Media, Dian Mecca, (203) 831-8464, dian@insightmedia.info.

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