Frequently Asked Questions
General E3 Questions
- How is E3 different from other sustainability efforts?
- What is the relationship between E3 and the Green Suppliers Network?
- Why should my community be interested in participating in E3?
- Who is eligible to participate in E3?
- How are E3 projects funded?
- Who decides the focus areas of E3 projects?
Manufacturer-Specific Questions
- How long will the on assessment take?
- What personnel need to be present for the assessment?
- What data and records need to be available?
- Who decides which recommendations to implement?
- Are data confidential?
General E3 Questions
How is E3 different from other sustainability efforts?
Sustainability efforts abound throughout the United States, and several are weaving together energy considerations with lean and clean manufacturing best practices. E3 is no exception in this regard. However, what makes E3 different from other programs is the collaborative support structure behind the initiative. E3 is supported by a Memorandum of Understanding (PDF, 5 pp, 1.63 MB) among federal agencies who share a common focus on sustainability. This collaborative approach has proven to be an excellent motivator for local technical resources to come together and provide optimal technical assistance to local small to medium-sized businesses. This avoids redundancies and provides a framework that local communities can use to access the expertise of each federal agency and its local affiliates involved in the initiative.
What is the relationship between E3 and the Green Suppliers Network?
E3 and the Green Suppliers Network are complementary, but E3 focuses on communities, whereas the Green Suppliers Network focuses on Original Equipment Manufacturers and their supply chains. E3 and the Green Suppliers Network work hand-in-hand to make manufacturers’ business practices more profitable and efficient. In addition, both E3 and the Green Suppliers Network lay the foundation for job growth.
E3 emerged from our work with Green Suppliers Network, utilities and the manufacturing base. By adding energy efficiency and greenhouse gas estimations to an already proven lean and green assessment, we learned we could help manufacturing move more quickly on its path to sustainability.
Why should my community be interested in participating in E3?
E3 provides a unique opportunity for local governments to partner simultaneously with federal agencies and local manufacturers, and it provides a framework for meeting existing energy, environmental, and economic goals for your community. E3 projects have demonstrated their value by forming lasting relationships among local governments, utilities, and manufacturers and have proven to be profitable investments by the participating manufacturing facilities.
Who is eligible to participate in E3?
Many types of organizations can participate in the E3 process. Organizations eligible to participate in E3 include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Local and municipal governments
- Local or regional utilities
- State government agencies
- State universities
- Local manufacturing extension partnerships (MEPs)
- Local industrial assessment centers (IACs)
- Local small business development centers (SBDCs)
- Local Workforce Investment Boards
If you do not see your type of organization listed here, contact us to find out if you are eligible to start an E3 project in your area.
How are E3 projects funded?
E3 is not a federal grant program. Its projects are typically funded by leveraging existing resources. E3 teams have secured funds from project participants who have a practical interest in improving the local manufacturing sector, or from federal funds already allocated and distributed to the communities.
Who decides the focus areas of E3 projects?
You do. Your E3 project team will decide how to engage manufacturers and what the project’s priorities are. One of the first steps in an E3 project is to develop a charter that outlines the project goals and expectations and will help define each of the team member’s responsibilities. An E3 project coordinator will be available to help you decide on your project’s focus and develop the project charter.
Manufacturer-Specific Question
How long will the on assessment take?
Manufacturers should expect the energy assessment to take one full day and the lean and green assessments to take two or three days. These timeframes are typical of the review process, but might be adjusted, depending on the size of the facility and the scope of the review.
What personnel need to be present for the assessment?
It is very important to have key personnel available for the day of the review. Staff that deal with the operations of the equipment are essential as well as the head of the facility, who would be responsible for making budgeting decisions for the facility. This could be the CEO or the manager of the facility.
What data and records will need to be available?
The E3 review team will work with you to determine which data sources are required for the assessment. Below is a list of possible sources the review team may ask you to provide.
- Annualized electricity data or, at a minimum, a copy of two invoices—ideally, one for winter and one for summer—for electricity purchased.
- Quarterly water data or, at a minimum, the annual cost of water and sewer purchased for the last full year of records and a copy of two quarterly invoices—ideally, one for winter and one for summer.
- Listing of all air, water, liquid, or hazardous waste permits and environmental reports submitted to environmental regulatory agencies.
- Annual cost of hazardous waste disposal services for the last full year of records and one invoice from each vendor you contract with for hazardous waste management.
- Annual cost of solid waste disposal services (and/or residual wastes) for the last full year of records and one full copy of an invoice.
- Purchasing records for your major raw material inputs for the process or product line being reviewed.
- Listing of any liquids that require special handling, including solvents, solvent-based cleaning solutions or degreasers, hydraulic oils, cutting/quenching oils, lubricating oils and biocides, and the amounts in gallons purchased over the last full year.
- Listing of all materials recycled and the monthly volume and any revenue generated as a result of the recycling.
- Usage records that link raw material or resource inputs to the number of parts or products used or a unit of time smaller than one day—for example, it might take 10 gallons of water to produce 100 units of a product.
- Usage records that provide the amount of electricity or water used to run a piece of, or all of, the machinery for the product or process line under review. This information can be extremely useful because energy and water use for a specific process line typically only makes up a percentage of your total resource use for your facility. Detailed usage records help review team members understand actual resource use for the process line being reviewed. Such records may only be available if the process line is “metered” separately from the rest of the facility or explicit records are tracked by some other means.
Who decides which recommendations to implement?
Manufacturers do. The E3 team will provide a report to management outlining a series of improvements that can be made, but it is up to the individual supplier what improvements they implement. The E3 Team is available to help with implementation or identification of other state programs to assist companies.
Are data confidential?
Yes. Facility-specific results will not be shared with any organization outside of the E3 Review team unless the facility agrees to do so (e.g., a case study). To provide public E3 data, facility data are separated from company names and aggregated with others across the country. These numbers become available after a minimum of five reviews have been conducted and in rolling batches of five reviews. All facility specific data are always kept confidential.
