In today's global economy, Canadian manufacturers face enormous pressures to stay competitive and maximize profit. Canadian manufacturers of all sizes can build their competitive advantage by adopting sustainable development principles and practices, including lean manufacturing, as well as strategies that promote convergence between profitability and sustainability.
Sustainable manufacturing promotes minimizing or eliminating production and processing wastes through eco-efficient practices, and encourages adopting new environmental technologies.
Links to sources on sustainable manufacturing:
- Provision Coalition
A not-for-profit organization that works with Canadian food and beverage manufacturers, coalition members and industry stakeholders, to better understand sustainability challenges and implement sound business solutions. Resources are available to Canadian food and beverage manufacturers through the Food & Beverage Sustainability Portal. - CME SMART Prosperity Now
This program allows manufacturers with an export focus to commercialize new technologies, enter new domestic and foreign markets, invest in sustainable and green technology, purchase new or upgraded equipment and technology, and implement efficiency improvements. - Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium
A unique not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping manufacturers gain a competitive 'Advantage through Excellence' emphasizing sustainability and the creation, retention and expansion of skilled manufacturing jobs here in Canada. - Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME)
The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) is the premier organization for the exchange of knowledge in enterprise excellence. Members come together to explore Lean thinking and other enterprise improvement methods, exchange best practices and network in order to advance their careers and improve the competitiveness and overall value of their organizations. - Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)
A not-for-profit foundation that finances and supports the development and demonstration of clean technologies which provide solutions to issues of climate change, clean air, water quality and soil, and which deliver economic, environmental and health benefits to Canadians. - Sustainable Manufacturing
This U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website contains information and resources for improving the sustainability and competitiveness of manufacturing companies. - OECD Sustainable Manufacturing Toolkit—Seven Steps to Environmental Excellence
Aims to provide a practical starting point for businesses around the world to improve the efficiency of their production processes and products enabling them to contribute to sustainable development and green growth.