Community | Inside PPAI the importance of a values-driven culture. She told attendees that values-driven organizations have higher employee engagement and better bottom-line results because people are engaged and proud of what they’re doing. “We want to make our companies places that we’re proud of,” said GrantHart, “It’s worth investing in, because there’s actual ROI from all of this.” She also encouraged the compliance professionals in the audience to develop resilience and remember that what they’re doing matters, because compliance can be a lonely road. “When you feel lonely in your job and that nobody cares, recognize you are part of a global movement that is changing the world and how business is done,” she said. Summit sessions tackled a wide range of compliance issues important to the promo community, including measuring greenhouse gases and carbon reduction strategies from a risk management perspective, PFAS regulation and litigation, collaborating on a more sustainable product supply chain, product recalls and sustainability benchmarking, among other concerns. PPAI and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have enjoyed a close working relationship for several years. Alexander HoehnSaric, chair of the CPSC, joined Summit this year to speak on that collaboration. On stage, he thanked the industry for its attention to product safety and expressed a desire to work together on a range of issues, especially when to comes to tracking problematic products. “Direct notice is the most effective tool to get consumers to take action,” he said, adding, “I would love to get your thoughts on how we can be more effective in reaching people.” The chair also reported that the CPSC is taking major steps to implement its e-filing program for imports to support faster processing and emphasize focus on higher-risk products. “In the end, we’re all working together toward the same goal,” he said. Summit also explored a new partnership between PPAI and Green Business Benchmark to sustain offer members discounted access to sustainability management, benchmarking and well-respected certifications. PPAI and GBB collaborated to create a promo-specific initiative with key elements for both suppliers and distributors. “We’re really trying to make this as easy as possible, because for a lot of folks in this industry, sustainability is only part of their job, not their whole job,” said Elizabeth Wimbush, PPAI’s director of sustainability and responsibility. Mary Crosetto, operations manager at Oregon-based distributor 1338tryon, was especially excited about the opportunity. “I called my boss and said, ‘We’re doing this!’” she said. PPAI made a donation of $3,450 to the Sierra Club on behalf of early-bird registrants, and the conference was carbon neutral thanks to sponsor 4imprint, the No. 1 distributor in the PPAI 100.
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