Introducing New EcoPulse
AI-Powered PFAS Risk Intelligence Inside Chem Agent

OPENING AND SESSION OVERVIEW

Shelby Ackley:

Thank you for joining today’s session on EcoPulse AI-powered PFAS risk intelligence and how this technology is integrated into Benchmark Gensuite through Chem Agent, along with other potential integration opportunities.

My name is Shelby Ackley. I am a Director in Benchmark Gensuite’s Strategic Solutioning Group and the product leader for the Genny AI solution suite. I am joined by Jenny Yu and Joey Burke of EcoPulse.

Today, we will provide a high-level overview of Benchmark Gensuite chemical management solutions, take a deeper look at the EcoPulse solution and how it works, demonstrate how EcoPulse intelligence has been incorporated into Chem Agent, and discuss additional integration opportunities.

Benchmark Gensuite offers modular solutions across environmental, health and safety; frontline operations; quality; product stewardship; sustainability; and risk management. Organizations can bring together the applications that best support their program needs.

Chemical management programs can be complex because chemicals affect workplace exposure, environmental compliance, sustainability, product stewardship, industrial hygiene, and other operational areas. Benchmark Gensuite supports foundational activities such as SDS and chemical inventory management, chemical approvals, and risk assessment, as well as related workflows across air, waste, process safety, dangerous goods, and product compliance.

HOW AI SUPPORTS CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT

Shelby Ackley:

Benchmark Gensuite has focused on incorporating AI directly into established workflows. At a high level, these capabilities support three types of work.

First, AI can support everyday work by helping users enter and review data, summarize records, analyze images and documents, and identify potential hazards or risks.

Second, AI can streamline specialized work. In chemical management, for example, AI can process safety data sheets, identify constituents, flag potential PFAS information, digitize content, and support structured assessments.

Third, expert agents can support program-level work. These agents are designed around specific domains and can perform analysis, provide specialized knowledge, connect information across systems, and take actions within Benchmark Gensuite workflows.

When a specialized technology provider has developed strong domain-specific AI, Benchmark Gensuite may integrate that technology into relevant applications and agents. EcoPulse PFAS risk intelligence has been integrated into Chem Agent so users can access deeper PFAS analysis within an established chemical management workflow.

SPEAKER INTRODUCTIONS

Jenny Yu:

My name is Jenny Yu, Founder and CEO of EcoPulse. I have worked in EHS, product stewardship software, and AI for nearly 16 years. I am based in Austin, Texas, and I am pleased to join this discussion with Shelby and Joey.

Joey Burke:

I am Joey Burke, Vice President of Marketing at EcoPulse. I have approximately 10 years of experience across EHS, consumer product marketing, and legal marketing. We are excited to introduce the EcoPulse solution and discuss our work with Benchmark Gensuite.

PFAS BACKGROUND AND THE EVOLVING RISK LANDSCAPE

Joey Burke:

PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a large group of synthetic chemicals characterized by strong carbon-fluorine bonds. Because these chemicals are difficult to break down, they are often called “forever chemicals.”

PFAS have properties that can make products resistant to water, oil, stains, and heat. They have been used in many consumer and industrial products, including nonstick cookware, food packaging, textiles, gaskets, seals, electronics, and firefighting foam.

Because PFAS have been used widely, organizations are evaluating potential environmental, health, regulatory, legal, supply chain, and customer-related risks. Requirements and restrictions vary by jurisdiction and continue to evolve. Businesses therefore need to understand where PFAS may be present in their operations and supply chains, which requirements may apply, and where additional evidence or follow-up may be needed.

Consumer and customer expectations are also changing. More organizations are being asked to provide information about PFAS in products and supply chains. A proactive review process can help teams assess potential risk, organize available evidence, and make more informed decisions.

COMMON PFAS REVIEW APPROACHES AND THEIR LIMITATIONS

Jenny Yu:

Many manufacturers have begun collecting PFAS data and reviewing potential risk. The maturity of these programs varies by industry, product portfolio, and the extent to which PFAS may be used across a bill of materials.

Several common approaches are used today.

One approach is document review, often centered on safety data sheets. However, an SDS may not disclose every PFAS substance that could be present. Reviewing an SDS alone may therefore leave information gaps, and manually reviewing large document sets can require significant time.

A second approach is supplier outreach through surveys or other data-collection processes. Suppliers may have important product knowledge, but response quality can vary. Definitions may be interpreted differently, information may be incomplete, and confidential business information can create additional challenges.

A third approach is laboratory testing. Testing can provide useful evidence, but it may not be practical or scalable for every material, product, or organization.

As a result, organizations often work with fragmented data sources and processes that are difficult to scale across large inventories. Even after significant effort, teams may still need to qualify conclusions based on the information available.

HOW ECOPULSE PFAS RISK INTELLIGENCE WORKS

Jenny Yu:

EcoPulse developed an AI-driven PFAS and chemical risk intelligence engine to help organizations conduct due diligence, prepare for reporting, and support mitigation planning.

The workflow can accept material and supplier data through individual entry, spreadsheet upload, or system integration. Specialized AI models, a structured risk-analysis methodology, and a PFAS knowledge base are then used to generate results such as likelihood scores, risk scores, risk levels, potential chemical identities, estimated concentrations, research findings, and supporting details.

The analysis is designed to go beyond a simple yes-or-no flag. It provides reasoning and evidence that an experienced professional can review.

Human review is central to the workflow. The system is designed to support expert approval and determination, not replace it. By combining AI-generated intelligence with human judgment, teams can aggregate results, identify higher-priority cases, and focus internal investigation or supplier outreach where it may be most useful.

For example, instead of sending the same survey to every supplier, a team could use available risk signals and supporting evidence to prioritize outreach to selected suppliers. Results can also be grouped by product category, supplier group, or business unit to provide a broader view of potential risk across an inventory or supply chain.

INDIVIDUAL, DOCUMENT, AND SUPPLIER ANALYSIS

Jenny Yu:

EcoPulse supports several complementary types of analysis.

For an individual material or product, a user can submit available information and receive a structured PFAS risk analysis. Results may identify possible PFAS chemicals, estimated concentrations, reasoning, and supporting sources.

The solution can also retrieve publicly available product documents, such as safety data sheets, technical data sheets, or product specifications, when those documents have not been provided directly.

At the supplier level, AI can collect and organize publicly available information to develop a supplier risk profile. This may include potential reputational, litigation, or other PFAS-related risk signals. These multidimensional insights can help teams decide where deeper investigation may be appropriate.

EVIDENCE, SPEED, AND HUMAN REVIEW

Jenny Yu:

EcoPulse evaluates the solution using measures related to speed, precision, and evidence. Individual analyses can often be completed in less than a minute, compared with a much longer manual review process.

Evidence is particularly important. The goal is not to produce a black-box answer, but to show the reasoning and sources that informed the result. The analysis framework may consider product-use categories, comparisons with similar materials, relevant research, and counterevidence or risk caveats.

The solution is also designed to work with imperfect or less structured data, including indirect material data from procurement or other business systems. This can help organizations generate useful intelligence even when source data is not standardized.

Shelby Ackley:

Evidence and traceability are also critical from the Benchmark Gensuite perspective. AI can search multiple knowledge sources and perform complex analysis, but users need to understand where conclusions came from and whether the available context supports them.

When AI is used to analyze PFAS or other chemical risks, links to supporting information, documented reasoning, and human verification help users evaluate whether the output is reliable and appropriate for the decision at hand.

ECOPULSE IN BENCHMARK GENSUITE CHEM AGENT

Shelby Ackley:

Chem Agent brings together specialized knowledge, connected system data, external knowledge sources, and the ability to take action within Benchmark Gensuite.

A user can upload an SDS or work from an existing chemical record, then ask Chem Agent to perform available tasks. Through the EcoPulse integration, Chem Agent can run a PFAS risk analysis and return a risk level, likelihood score, identified or potential PFAS chemicals, and a summary of the analysis.

Users can also download a more detailed AI-generated work product. This report includes expanded reasoning, evidence, generation details, and space for additional review or documentation. The format can be configured to support organization-specific needs, including structured verification sections.

Chem Agent can support other chemical-management tasks as well, such as risk assessments, substitution analysis, and initiation of chemical approval workflows. The longer-term goal is for expert agents to help users complete more of the work directly within the system while preserving context, evidence, and oversight.

Jenny Yu:

The detailed work product follows a consistent risk-analysis framework. It considers the product’s use category, comparisons with similar products or materials, relevant research, and potential counterevidence or caveats. This provides a more complete view for expert review rather than presenting only a final risk score.

CURRENT INTEGRATION AND FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

Jenny Yu:

The initial integration focuses on individual, on-demand analysis. A user can select a specific SDS or product and call the EcoPulse intelligence engine for a deeper review.

Future opportunities include batch analysis, which could allow organizations to screen hundreds or thousands of materials more efficiently and view risk indicators directly alongside inventory records.

Shelby Ackley:

Additional integration opportunities may include the SDS System, Product Stewardship, and Supplier Portal applications.

Within the SDS System, EcoPulse analysis could support batch uploads, constituent review, or the evaluation of newly added chemicals. In Product Stewardship and Supplier Portal workflows, supplier-level insights could help teams prioritize verification and follow-up.

Embedding these capabilities directly into existing workflows can reduce the need to move information between disconnected tools and can help users apply risk intelligence where chemical and product decisions are already being made.

Jenny Yu:

Batch analysis can provide substantial efficiency when screening large inventories or bills of materials. Results could be displayed as risk flags or filters alongside each inventory item, allowing users to identify priority records quickly.

The underlying knowledge base and analysis are designed to support a broad range of industrial products and components, not only chemical mixtures. Current areas of focus include industrial parts, consumer products, and electronics, with continued expansion over time.

CLOSING

Shelby Ackley:

Thank you for joining us to learn more about the Benchmark Gensuite and EcoPulse collaboration, the EcoPulse PFAS risk intelligence solution, and its integration with Chem Agent.