SMART Technologies Hardware Products Declared "Conflict-Free"

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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SOURCE SMART Technologies Inc.

Kara Pinato, Spark PR for SMART Technologies, [email protected]; Jeff Lowe, VP of Marketing, SMART Technologies Inc., [email protected]