San Diego, California
June 17, 2008
As the BIO 2008 International
Convention gets underway in San Diego this week, the Excellence
Through StewardshipSM (ETS) program takes a giant leap forward
as the program is incorporated and begins operation as a
separate Biotechnology Industry
Organization (BIO) affiliate. Launched in July of last year,
ETS is the first industry-coordinated effort developed to meet
product stewardship objectives and to provide a strong quality
management program for the full life cycle of biotech plants and
plant products.
On June 16, the BIO Board of Directors finalized approval of the
Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws for the ETS program. Also
on June 16, the ETS Board of Directors were named. They are:
- Jane Stautz, Esq., Chair,
Dow AgroSciences, LLC - Indianapolis, Ind.
- Judith Rylott, Vice Chair,
Bayer CropScience LP - Cambridge, England
- Lisa Murphy, Treasurer,
Biotechnology Industry Organization - Washington, D.C.
- Neal Gutterson, Secretary,
Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. - Hayward, Cal.
- Sharon Bomer Lauritsen,
Biotechnology Industry Organization - Washington, D.C.
- Tom DiLenge, Biotechnology
Industry Organization - Washington, D.C.
- Jerry Flint, Monsanto
Company - St. Louis, Mo.
- Rick Keon, SemBioSys
Genetics, Inc. - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- James Mann, Ph.D.,
ArborGen, LLC - Summerville, S.C.
- Peter Mascia, Ph.D.,
Ceres, Inc. - Thousand Oaks, Cal.
- David McElroy, Ph.D.,
Targeted Growth, Inc - Seattle, Wash.
- David Nevill, Syngenta
Seeds, Inc. - Research Triangle Park, N.C.
- Andrew Reed, BASF Plant
Science Holding GmbH - Research Triangle Park, N.C.
- Greg Wandrey, Ph.D.,
Pioneer Hi-Bred/DuPont - Johnston, Iowa
"A strong federal regulatory
system already oversees plant biotechnology,” says Jane Stautz,
Chair of the ETS Board of Directors. "But leaders within the
ever-growing biotechnology industry feel that stewardship is an
essential element in a partnership between government and the
private sector”.
ETS comprises three main components:
- Objectives, Principles
and Management Practices for ETS.
- Guides for BIO member
companies and others involved in agricultural
biotechnology research and development to use in
understanding and implementing their own stewardship and
quality management practices. These provide guidance on
how to develop and implement an appropriate quality
management system (from discovery through
commercialization and post-market activities). While
these are in a ready-to-use format, which makes it easy
to adapt to specific activities and operations, it is a
flexible program that companies can adapt to their own
quality management practices and standard operating
procedures.
The Quality Management for Plant Product Integrity guide
is now available for download on the ETS website at
www.excellencethroughstewardship.org.
- An independent,
third-party Stewardship Audit Program designed to verify
implementation of stewardship programs and quality
management systems and to confirm compliance with
principles and management practices.
"Through the guidance offered in
the ETS program, industry groups are able to not only better
comply with science-based regulations, but to also demonstrate
responsible management and accountability with the added benefit
of enhancing stakeholder and consumer confidence,” says Stautz.
Many companies already have quality management programs in
place. But the ETS program is the first industry-coordinated
effort to adopt and promote stewardship within the growing plant
biotechnology sector.
"We are proud of our Excellence Through StewardshipSM initiative
and excited that the program is moving forward with many of our
Food and Agriculture member companies ready to adopt these
stewardship principles,” says BIO President and CEO Jim
Greenwood. "ETS helps reinforce our commitment to enhancing
stewardship and quality management.”
For more information about the Excellence Through
Stewardship(SM) program, visit
www.ExcellenceThroughStewardship.org.
BIO represents more than
1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state
biotechnology centers and related organizations across the
United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are
involved in the research and development of innovative
healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental
biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International
Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology
industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering
meetings held around the world.
Upcoming BIO Event:
Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy
Sept. 10-12, 2008 Vancouver, B.C., Canada |
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