Additionally, SMART Interactive Flat Panels
Receive ENERGY STAR® certification
CALGARY, April 22, 2016 /CNW/ - SMART Technologies Inc.
(NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration
solutions, announced today that the company has been declared
"conflict-free." In addition, several of its latest interactive
flat panels are now ENERGY STAR®
certified. Coming on Earth Day,
this news reflects the company's strong commitment to corporate
social responsibility and a sustainable future.
The entire SMART product suite and supply chain has been
declared free of conflict minerals following a thorough supply
chain investigation that culminated in an audit conducted by an
independent third party. Conflict minerals are the ores of tin,
tungsten, tantalum and gold, all of which are present in virtually
all electronic devices. Warlords in the Great Lakes Region of
central Africa (the "conflict
region") have used conflict mineral production to fund conflict and
major human rights abuses. Section 1502 of the U.S.
Dodd-Frank Act requires companies whose securities are registered
with the SEC to investigate their supply chains to determine
whether production of the conflict minerals used in their products
supports the warlords. Very few companies have been able to
rule this out.
To be declared "conflict-free", SMART had to conduct a thorough
"Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiry" with respect to all smelters
of conflict minerals acquired or used throughout its supply
chain. Smelters identified as sourcing from, or possibly
sourcing from, the conflict region were then subjected to a
detailed "due diligence" process to determine whether their
operations funded war or human rights abuses there.
"SMART is committed to not only enabling student success in the
classroom but also to contributing to a sustainable future for them
by doing all that we can to produce environmentally friendly
solutions," said Warren Barkley, CTO
of SMART Technologies. "We are pleased that our customers now have
independent confirmation that SMART is a reliable supplier of
ethically-sourced, energy-efficient products," he said.
"We anticipate to be one of only a handful of companies to
include a company-wide conflict-free declaration in their conflict
minerals filings with the SEC this year, and we're proud that SMART
is the undisputed leader on this issue in our space," said
John Hogg, head of Environmental
Compliance at SMART Technologies.
In addition to being recognized as "conflict-free", four of
SMART's latest 75-inch panels, the SMART
Board® 6075, SMART kapp
iQ® 75, SMART kapp iQ Pro™ 75 and SMART
Board® 8075i models, have received ENERGY
STAR® certification. These panels meet
strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). To
earn ENERGY STAR® certification, products
must be shown to have met these strict guidelines after being
tested by an EPA-certified laboratory, and SMART's interactive
flat panels are market leaders for ENERGY
STAR® certification.
Using ENERGY STAR®-certified products
gives educators and customers assurance that a SMART technology
adoption will help the environment by reducing the growth in
greenhouse gasses emitted by fossil-fuel energy plants, using less
energy and in turn lowering the total cost of ownership.
To see more information about SMART's commitment to being
conflict-free, please visit here.
About SMART Technologies Inc.
SMART Technologies Inc.
(NASDAQ: SMT, TSX: SMA) is a world leader in simple and intuitive
solutions that enable more natural collaboration. We are an
innovator in interactive touch technologies and software that
inspire collaboration in both education and businesses around the
globe. To learn more, visit smarttech.com.
SMT – M
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expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
©2016 SMART Technologies Inc. All third-party product and
company names are for identification purposes only and may be
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trademarks please visit our Trademarks and Guidelines page.
SOURCE SMART Technologies Inc.