DOE, NAM announce Sustainability in Manufacturing partnership

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) announced Tuesday a new partnership that seeks to help U.S. manufacturers accelerate the adoption of energy efficient technologies and drive energy productivity improvements.

DOE’s Better Plants program supports the agreement, known as the Sustainability in Manufacturing. Through the partnership, DOE and NAM will engage directly with manufacturers, identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvements and provide a platform for recognizing companies that take the in applying innovative strategies.

“Working alongside our private sector partners, we are driving cost savings and a stronger, more secure U.S. industrial base,” Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said. “The Department’s partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers will further spotlight industrial leadership and boost awareness of the resources across the DOE enterprise to boost manufacturing competitiveness through energy savings.”

The United States spends over $200 billion dollars each year to power its manufacturing plants. Reducing energy consumption, DOE said, would improve the economic competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and drive job creation.

“Manufacturers accept the responsibility to better the future of our communities, our environment, and our children, which is why over the past decade, we have reduced emissions by 10 percent even as our value to the economy has increased 19 percent,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said. “This initiative is another example of the Trump Administration’s true partnership with manufacturers in America and it will take our sustainability efforts to a new level of progress.”