U.S. Government Sustainable Manufacturing Program and Resource Catalogue

U.S. Government Sustainable Manufacturing Program and Resource Catalogue*

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Department of Commerce, National
Institute of Standards and Technology

Green Suppliers Network (GSN)
www.gsn.gov
The Green Suppliers Network (GSN) is a collaborative venture among industry, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. GSN works with large manufacturers to engage their small and medium-sized suppliers in low-cost technical reviews that focus on process improvement and waste minimization.

Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES)
http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/software/bees/
This site hosts the BEES 4.0 software program designed to assist businesses in choosing cost-effective, environmentally preferable building products. This software can be downloaded for free at the above website.

Interagency Network of Enterprise Assistance Providers (INEAP)
http://www.ineap.nist.gov/ineap/home.ineap
INEAP represents a network of 100 members in 13 government agencies, which work together to provide assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises in various areas including sustainability. There are links to numerous programs from other government agencies including EPA and DOE.

Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
http://www.mep.nist.gov/
With offices in every state, the MEP provides manufacturers with customized services on a range of topics with the goal of making U.S. industry more competitive. Services relating to sustainability include sector-specific “lean and clean manufacturing” technical assistance and environmental assessment services.

Environmental Protection Agency

For U.S. Industry
http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/industry.html
The central site for EPA’s work with industry. It includes links to EPA-run technical assistance program sites, EPA’s Design for the Environment program, its Sector Strategies Program, and a link to the EPA partnerships site where businesses can search for partnership opportunities with EPA.

Environmental Stewardship
http://www.epa.gov/stewardship/
This site allows users to search for EPA programs for business that support efforts for environmental stewardship. Search results can be narrowed down by environmental issue, industry sector, type of information and geographic location.

Sustainability
http://www.epa.gov/sustainability
This site is divided into four key sections: Built Environment; Water, Ecosystems, and Agriculture; Energy and the Environment; and Materials and Toxics. There are, under each section, links to policies and programs, research tools and technologies, and assessments and performance measures.

SmartWay Transport Partnership
http://www.epa.gov/smartway
The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a collaboration between EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.

WaterSense
http://www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency/tips/bus.htm
This site provides information for businesses on best ways to conserve water and information on EPA’s WaterSense program. Links to the EPA Portfolio Manager, which can help businesses monitor their energy and water usage, can also be found on this site.

Green Buildings
http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/
This site provides general information on green building with links to various EPA sites that support green building practices. Certain sections of this site are dedicated to green building for business.

EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR)
http://es.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/
Part of the government-wide SBIR program, EPA funds research and development projects in areas such as clean technology, pollution prevention, water treatment, innovative manufacturing practices.

Business Opportunities
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/doingbusiness.htm
This site has a section for business and industry where companies can find information on government administered, sustainability-related technical assistance programs, public-private partnerships, small business resources, financial resources, government contracts and research tools.

Climate Leaders
http://www.epa.gov/climateleaders/
Climate Leaders is an EPA industry-government partnership that works with companies to develop comprehensive climate change strategies. Partner companies commit to reducing their impact on the global environment by completing a corporate-wide inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions based on a quality management system, setting aggressive reduction goals, and annually reporting their progress to EPA.

Green Power Partnership
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/index.htm
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary Partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and organizations that are interested in reducing their carbon footprint through the purchase of ‘green power’. Through this program, the EPA supports organizations that are using or who are planning to use green power. Members range from local governments to Fortune 500 companies.

Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)
http://www.epeat.net/
EPEAT is a procurement tool to help large volume purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare, and select desktop computers, notebooks, and monitors based on their environmental attributes. EPEAT also provides a clear and consistent set of performance criteria for the design of products and provides an opportunity for manufacturers to secure market recognition for efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their products.

Small Business Gateway
http://www.epa.gov/smallbusiness/
This is the starting point for information on environmental management for small businesses. It includes information on financial resources available to SMEs in the area of environmental management as well as EPA technical assistance programs focused on regulatory compliance and cost savings.

Design for the Environment (DfE) Program.
http://www.epa.gov/dfe/
The Design for the Environment (DfE) Program works in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders to reduce risk to people and the environment by preventing pollution. DfE focuses on industries that combine the potential for chemical risk reduction and improvements in energy efficiency with a strong motivation to make lasting, positive changes. DfE convenes partners, including industry representatives and environmental groups, to develop goals and guide the work of the partnership. Partnership projects evaluate the human health and environmental considerations, performance, and cost of traditional and alternative technologies, materials, and processes. As incentives for participation and driving change, DfE offers unique technical tools, methodologies, and expertise.

Product Stewardship Partnerships
http://www.epa.gov/epr/
These involve efforts to reduce the life-cycle impacts of products, through voluntary product stewardship partnerships with manufacturers, retailers, other governments and non-government organizations. An example of this is Carpet America, an industry-led, multi-stakeholder organization that seeks to divert 40% of carpet from landfills by 2012 through recycling, reuse, and other waste recovery and waste minimization activities.

GreenScapes
http://www.epa.gov/greenscapes/
Provides cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for large-scale landscaping. Designed to help preserve natural resources and prevent waste and pollution, the GreenScapes Partnership Program encourages companies, government agencies, and other entities to make more holistic decisions regarding waste generation and disposal and the associated impacts on land, water, air, and energy use.

The National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP)
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/npep/index.htm
formerly the National Waste Minimization Partnership Program (NWMPP), encourages public and private organizations to form voluntary partnerships with EPA that reduce the use or release of any of 31 priority chemicals (PCs). Organizations choose one or more facility processes that use the priority chemical(s) and that has reduction potential. Working with purchasing, operations, sales, environmental management, and maintenance departments to identify possible source reduction, recycling and/or recovery opportunities, partners develop a goal, and project timeline for each of the chemicals identified.

The Plug-In To eCycling Program
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/index.htm
aims to increase the safe recycling of old consumer electronics by providing the public with information about electronics recycling and increasing opportunities to safely recycle old electronics; facilitating partnerships with communities, electronics manufacturers, and retailers to promote shared responsibility for safe electronics recycling; and establishing pilot projects to test innovative approaches to safe electronics recycling.

The WasteWise Partnership Program
http://www.epa.gov/wastewise/
is a successful voluntary partnership program that seeks to reduce municipal solid waste through innovative waste prevention and recycling techniques. More than 1200 partners from business, government, and institutions have reported a reduction of 35 million tons of municipal solid waste. Our WasteWise Partners continue to take on new challenges, such as encouraging the reuse and recycling of construction and demolition debris and the use of recycled products to create new "WasteWise buildings."

Energy Star
http://www,energystar.gov
This EPA- and Department of Energy-sponsored program helps businesses and individuals to protect the environment through enhanced energy efficiency. ENERGY STAR is a dynamic government/industry partnership that offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions, making it easy to save money while protecting the environment for future generations.

National Environmental Performance Track
www.epa.gov/performancetrack
Performance Track recognizes and drives environmental excellence by encouraging facilities with strong environmental records to go above and beyond their legal requirements. Members set typically four public, measurable goals to improve the quality of our nation's air, water, and land. Members include major corporations, small businesses, and public facilities that are steering a course toward environmental excellence.

Department of Energy

Industrial Technologies Program
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/index.html
DOE’s Industrial Technologies program works with U.S. industry to improve industrial energy efficiency and environmental performance. The program invests in high-risk, high-value R&D projects, conducts on-site energy efficiency assessments for U.S. companies, and disseminates best practices in the field of energy management.

DOE Small Business Innovation Research Program
http://www.science.doe.gov/sbir/
DOE’s SBIR program provides funding to small businesses for research and development on projects related to “clean” technology innovation.

Loan Guarantee Program
http://www.lgprogram.energy.gov/index.html
DOE’s loan guarantee program provides loan guarantees for environmentally-friendly energy projects in areas such as solar, wind, and alternative fuels. The goal of the program is to encourage innovation and deployment of “clean” technologies.

Energy Savers
http://www.energysavers.gov/
The Energy Savers program is a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help companies improve energy efficient business practices.

EERE Financial Opportunities
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/financing/
This site provides information on financial assistance opportunities for businesses to increase their use of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.

Energy Star
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=industry.bus_industry
Energy Star is a joint program between EPA and DOE that aims to help consumers and businesses save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. The program develops energy management programs in conjunction with U.S. companies and helps them track their progress and cost savings over time.

Save Energy Now
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow/
Save Energy Now is a national initiative of the Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) to drive a 25% reduction in industrial energy intensity in 10 years. Industrial companies can participate in no-cost energy assessments and utilize ITP resources to reduce energy use while increasing profits. Companies can apply for energy assessments, download software tools, find training programs, and read case studies on energy efficiency in other plants.

Industrial Assessment Centers
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/iacs.html
The Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs), sponsored by EERE's Industrial Technologies Program, provide eligible small- and medium-sized manufacturers with no-cost energy and waste assessments. Additionally, the IACs serve as a training ground for the next-generation of energy savvy engineers. Recommendations from industrial assessments have averaged about $55,000 in potential annual savings for each manufacturer.

State Activities
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/about/state_activities/ main_map.asp
Through the Industrial Technologies Program (ITP), DOE is currently working in each state to help industry use energy more efficiently. The following site contains an array of information related to industrial energy use including: statistics on industry within each state, economic indicators and a snap shot of industrial energy use in each state, links to learn about training opportunities within a state to help improve industrial energy consumption, a list of contacts to experts who can provide services and resources to help reduce energy consumption.

Best Practices
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/index.html
BestPractices, under the DOE Industrial Technologies Program, works with U.S. industry to implement energy management practices in industrial plants. To meet the diverse needs of U.S. industry, BestPractices provides a number of resources for corporate executives, plant managers, technical staff, and the general public.

U.S. Department of Labor

Public Workforce System
http://www.doleta.gov/business/pws.cfm
The public workforce system is a network of federal, state, and local offices that function to support economic expansion and develop the talent of our nation’s workforce.

Workforce Solutions on Workforce3One.org
http://www.workforce3one.org
The Employment and Training Administration is pleased to introduce over 300 exciting new workforce solutions to help you address workforce challenges in the industry sectors driving your state and regional economies (including Advanced Manufacturing). These solutions were developed under The President’s High Growth and Community-Based Job Training Grants and include curriculum, competency models, distance learning tools, career awareness and outreach materials, research findings, case studies, career lattices, industry skills centers, websites and more. Additional information on these workforce solutions, including a comprehensive catalogue, is available at:

Career Voyages
http://www.careervoyages.gov
Career Voyages provides career and labor market information for high-growth and demand-driven jobs. The site includes videos and links to actual job descriptions and jobs in local communities, and also includes a downloadable version of the Advanced Manufacturing edition of InDemand Magazine.

Workforce Investment Act State Plans
http://www.doleta.gov/usworkforce/WIA/planstatus.cfm
States receiving grants under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) are required to develop strategic plans and annual reports. See the link below for links to each state’s most recent WIA documentation.

Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development
http://www.doleta.gov/wired/
Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) is a groundbreaking approach to workforce and economic development. Through the WIRED model, regions integrate economic and workforce development activities and demonstrate that talent development can drive economic transformation in regional economies across the United States.

Community-Based Job Training Grants
http://www.doleta.gov/Business/Community -BasedJobTrainingGrants.cfm
Community-Based Job Training Grants seek to strengthen the role of community colleges in promoting the U.S. workforce's full potential. The grants are employer-focused and build on the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative, a national model for demand-driven workforce development implemented by strategic partnerships between the workforce investment system, employers, and community colleges and other training providers. The primary purpose of the CBJTG grants is to build the capacity of community colleges to train workers to develop the skills required to succeed in high growth/high demand industries.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

USDA National Research Initiative
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/fundview.cfm?fonum=1606
The National Research Initiative is a competitive grants program that provides research funding to organizations in areas such as water and air quality as well as bio-based product development.

USDA Small Business Innovation Research Program
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/sbir.cfm
Provides research and development funding to small businesses in the area of alternative and renewable energy technology

BioPreferred
http://www.biobased.oce.usda.gov/fb4p/Default.aspx
USDA’s BioPreferred site provides a resource for businesses seeking to purchase bio-based products or sell bio-based products to the public and/or private sectors. This site includes a list of USDA-approved bio-based products.

Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy
and Energy Efficiency Investments

Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE)
http://www.dsireusa.org/
Run by the North Carolina State University NC Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is a user-friendly source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. It has a searchable database of state and federal programs that can be organized by state, industry sector, or incentive type

State Department

Commercial and Defense Trade Advocacy Program
http://www.export.gov/advocacy
Working closely with the Commerce Advocacy Center and other trade agencies, the U.S. Department of State maintains a robust Trade Advocacy Program to assist American companies on commercial and defense-related (border security/infrastructure protection) transactional deals, enforcement of contracts, market access, fighting corruption and other systematic business climate issues. The Department also works closely with the business community on critical competitiveness issues (standards, licensing, business-travel visas) and other policy concerns.

Commercial Service – State Embassy Partnership Program
A Commercial Service-State Department Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) established an agreement between the Commercial Service and the U.S. Department of State concerning the partnership arrangement to provide certain CS-branded products and services to the U.S. business community at select embassies that do not have a Commercial Service office (“non-CS”). In 85 non-CS embassies around the world, Embassy Partnership Programs are designed to establish regional working arrangements whereby economic officers at non-CS embassies can better assist U.S. businesses by drawing on the expertise and information technology systems of nearby embassies that have a CS presence. For more information on the Commercial Service – State Embassy Partnership Program please contact the State Department’s Office of Commercial and Business Affairs (202-647-0079).

Business Facilitation Incentive Fund (BFIF) Program
The State Department’s Business Facilitation Incentive Fund (BFIF) supports business outreach and trade promotion at more than 100 U.S. Embassies worldwide. Embassies that do not have a Commerce Department office are eligible for BFIF program funds to: build upon an embassy’s commercial diplomacy operations; increase knowledge or skills of economic/commercial staff; promote U.S. products and services; develop a country's export market/trade capacity; and/or increase U.S. investor awareness and confidence. For more information on the BFIF Program please contact the State Department’s Office of Commercial and Business Affairs (202-647-0079).

State – Zana Network MOU/Pilot Program
http://www.zananetwork.com
The State – Zana Network MOU/Pilot Program is designed to support trade capacity programs that complement the U.S. Department of State’s mission to support trade and investment as a major driver of foreign development, economic stability, and poverty reduction. ZANA Network provides small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”) worldwide with direct access to essential resources to start, build, and grow successful businesses, including through the ZANA web site at (the “ZANA Network”). Access to the ZANA Network is available at select U.S. Embassy sites to provide trade capacity support for companies in developing countries, especially SMEs and entrepreneurs. The Program also provides to Economic/Commercial sections in select U.S. embassies in developing countries a means to assist such companies in export-import matchmaking.

Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE)
http://www.state.gov/e/eeb/ace
The Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE), established by the State Department in 1999, recognizes the important role U.S. businesses play abroad as good corporate citizens. U.S. companies are nominated by Chiefs of Mission worldwide. Nominations are based on companies' achievements in one or more of the following areas: good corporate citizenship; exemplary employment practices; provision for a safe and healthy workforce; responsible environmental protection and practices; contribution to overall growth and development of the local economy; innovative programs with measurable results; compatibility/contribution to local science and technology; compliance with U.S., international, and local laws. Past winners include both multinational (MNE) and small-to-medium size enterprises (SME).

Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate
http://www.asiapacificpartnership.org/
The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate is an innovative new effort to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technologies.
APP partners Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the United States have agreed to work together and with private sector partners to meet goals for energy security, national air pollution reduction, and climate change in ways that promote sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. The Partnership will focus on expanding investment and trade in cleaner energy technologies, goods and services in key market sectors. The Partners have approved eight public-private sector task forces covering:

The seven partner countries represent about half of the world's economy, population and energy use, and they produce about 65 percent of the world’s coal, 48 percent of the world’s steel, 37 percent of world’s aluminium, and 61 percent of the world’s cement.

Office of the Federal Environmental Executive -
White House Council on Environmental Quality

OFEE.gov
http://www.ofee.gov
The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive's listserv aims to foster communication in the sharing of ideas and successes of those individuals/groups/organizations interested in learning about and participating in the goals of the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. OFEE concentrates on six core areas of focus, which include Waste Prevention and Recycling, Green Purchasing, Electronics Stewardship, Environmental Management Systems, Sustainable Buildings, and Green Jobs.

^* This catalogue of U.S. government programs and resources supporting sustainable manufacturers and related practices contains the major federal level programs but should not be considered an exhaustive list of all government programs in the United States.