Companies like Boeing, General Mills and Coca Cola say that energy efficiency is absolutely essential in an economic crisis.
In a white paper, global industrial automation company Rockwell Automation quotes these giant companies saying that sustainable manufacturing is important in tough times because it drives inefficiencies out of the system.
In the US, as in Australia, manufacturing has been hit hard by the financial meltdown. According to the latest Bureau of Labour Statistics data 156,000 jobs were lost in May. It is estimated that US manufacturing has lost 5.2 million jobs over the last 10 years.
In that context, it is fascinating to read about a coalition of US union, business, community, and environmental leaders developing the Apollo Green Manufacturing Plan which calls, among other things, for direct federal funding for clean energy manufacturers to retool their facilities and retrain their workers to develop, produce, and commercialize clean energy technologies.
If that is happening in America, why can’t Australian business leaders do the same here? A paper released by the CSIRO last year, Growing The Green Collar Economy estimates that employment in areas with high environmental impacts will grow strongly over the next 10 years, adding up to 340,000 new jobs. It is time for Australian manufacturers to start taking a more proactive role. It’s not just about saving the planet. It’s also good business.
