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43 The Sustainability Initiative In 2021, IPC convened an ESG for Electron- ics Steering Group comprising companies from the electronics manufacturing value chain who address environmental, social, and corporate gov- ernance (ESG) issues. In 2022, we heard from even more companies about their challenges staying ahead of and in tune with the dynamic landscape of sustainability requirements. They are ready for IPC to codify its own sustainability initiative to ensure we are the go-to for trusted and relevant standards, education, and advocacy resources that industry uses to achieve their sustainability aims. In 2023, IPC will develop an evidence-based sustainability strategic plan. To do this, IPC is: • Convening a Sustainability for Electronics Leadership Team to offer peer review and direction to IPC • Conducting an industry-wide Materiality Assessment to identify the most relevant electronics manufacturing industry-specific material risk factors • Increasing our communications about emerging policies and regulatory requirements, existing IPC stan- dards development activities, and insights into risk factors and how to address them and report on them through sustainability reporting "Sustainable practices are essential to the long- term success of any business and TTM actively works with IPC to develop and promote sustainable industry standards and EHS best practices," says Tom Edman, TTM Technologies Inc.'s president and CEO and IPC Board vice chair. "IPC's sustain- ability initiative comes at a most critical time for the electronics industry as we work to provide industry-wide solutions to continue to drive environmental improvements." IPC is well-positioned to lead the indus- try through its existing competencies in standards, education, and advocacy as well as utilizing our access to subject matter experts from across the globe. We're excited to move forward with this sustainability initiative. 43 Last year, we scanned more than a dozen companies' sustainability reports. We looked at reports from PCB, EMS, wire/cable, and OEMs in Asia, Europe, and North America. These were publicly available reports from 2021 and 2022. Companies methodically choose which key topic areas to focus on in their reports. Their priorities generally included the following: • Climate change • Circular economy and life cycle management • Occupational health • Diversity and inclusion • Human rights • Supply chain risks • Energy • Waste and water management Which sustainability issues are most likely to impact the operating performance of electronics companies?