EMC announces the release of their Green Manufacturing and Clean Technology report
by CM Staff
The 2024 Green Manufacturing and Clean Technology Adoption Report highlights the challenges facing the Canadian manufacturing sector and their supply chain, in pursuing a sustainable future and the legislated 'Net Zero by 2050'.
OWEN SOUND — On Mar. 19, EMC announced the public release of their 2024 Green Manufacturing and Clean Technology Adoption Report, an Industry Pulse review of Canada’s manufacturing landscape and its journey towards sustainability. Developed by Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) and in collaboration with Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), this report presents insights from industry engagement and in-depth analysis.
The 2024 Green Manufacturing and Clean Technology Adoption Report highlights the challenges facing the Canadian manufacturing sector and their supply chain, in pursuing a sustainable future and the legislated ‘Net Zero by 2050’. At the forefront of this initiative is the need for manufacturers to better understand and address climate change and reduce carbon emissions. The report underscores the role of Canada’s manufacturing sector in achieving these ambitious goals, emphasizing the imperative for green manufacturing practices and the integration of clean technologies.
Key highlights from the survey data and detailed report analysis include:
Approach to Sustainability: The transition towards Net Zero and a low carbon production ecosystem requires a holistic approach, encompassing People, Plant, and Processes. The report outlines strategies and solutions needed to enhance green manufacturing capabilities and underscores the importance of a skilled workforce and cutting-edge clean technologies.
Industry Pulse Survey Insights: Through an Industry Pulse Survey, senior manufacturing leaders across diverse roles have provided valuable feedback, shedding light on key challenges, priorities, and opportunities for growth. The report synthesizes these insights, offering actionable recommendations to propel the sector towards a low carbon economy. Highlighted challenges for Green Manufacturing and Clean Technology Adoption, include the high cost of technology adoption and the lack of internal skills and capabilities needed to effectively implement. In addition, participating manufacturers ranked their overall capabilities and preparedness for meeting Net Zero – fairly low.
Path Forward: Additional solutions and support are essential for industry – especially SMEs. Building on these, EMC is delivering / committed to offering a series of resources and initiatives throughout 2024, including briefings, workshops, roundtable consultations, and certification training. These initiatives aim to empower manufacturers with the knowledge and resources needed to navigate the transition towards sustainability effectively.
“To achieve ‘Net Zero by 2050’ Canadian manufacturers face several challenges, especially SMEs,” said Jean-Pierre (JP) Giroux, President / Président of EMC. “Transitioning to a low-carbon production ecosystem – while at the same time increasing their capacity, quality and speed to market all requires investment in People, Plant and Process. Unfortunately, the feedback indicates high costs and lack of internal skills and technical capabilities necessary are significant barriers. As an industry-driven effort, EMC is working with our manufacturers to address these capability needs and to connect industry with the resources needed to adopt Green Manufacturing and CleanTech.”
EMC says that thousands of Canadian manufacturers were invited to participate, comprising a diverse sector audience covering all manufacturing sub-sectors (NAICS 31-33). Direct input was gathered from nearly 700 manufacturing firms over a 6-week period, with insights provided by senior manufacturing leaders in roles ranging from C-level executives through to plant and operations management.
The 2024 Green Manufacturing and Clean Technology Adoption Report is now available for download here.
