If there were any tree-huggers at the first ever manufacturing summit focused on sustainability, hosted by the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center yesterday in Lafayette Hill outside of Philadelphia, it was only by coincidence. Sustainable business opportunities are abundant, and most can lead manufacturers on a path to profitability, says Mark Basla, VP of marketing and business development for the DVIRC.
“It’s our job to be a canary in the coal mine, to be proactive about what’s important to manufacturers,” says Basla. “We wanted this to be an educational, information-based summit. If you’re not interested in saving trees, you’ll be interested in making an impact on the bottom line.”
About 250 CEOs from leading advanced manufacturing companies showed for yesterday’s program, dubbed “Sustainability–People, Planet, Profit.” They listened to representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the state Department of Environemntal Protection, all of whom had a golden opportunity to spread their own message of sustainability and disseminate information on new financial opportunities and assistance.
“They can’t reach all these people so where do they go? They’re going to look at economic development organizations like us, who are already doing some of this stuff,” says Basla.
Also among the exhibitors were the Philadelphia Eagles, whose Go Green sustainability presentation discussed the implementation of their groundbreaking sustainability initiative that enhanced profitability while reducing their impact on the planet. The summit also served to honor 123 graduates from the DVIRC’s Institute for World-Class Manufacturing’s Lean/Six Sigma certification program.
Source: Mark Basla, Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center
Writer: Joe Petrucci