Wisconsin sustainable manufacturing initiative launches

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Content) - The aim of the program is to help provide assistance for small and mid-sized manufacturers to become more sustainable – not for the sake of going green but to help their bottom line. More than 90 companies volunteered to participate in the pilot initiative, and 50 were selected, said Mike Klonsinski, executive director of WMEP.

“What’s nice is this pilot recognized it and in some ways is backed by the survey we did last year on next-generation manufacturing,” he said. “That showed that about a third of the manufacturers saw sustainability practices as critical to their five-year future.”

Manufacturers need to see a bottom-line impact, however, Klonsinski said. “What we need to do is demonstrate that there’s a bottom-line benefit for some targeted sustainability practices, and if we can demonstrate that that occurs, those lessons and practices can be rolled out and will be received much better by other manufacturers in the state.”