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National Association of Manufacturers Joins EPA Smart Sectors Program

10/19/2018
Contact Information: 
Press Office (press@epa.gov)

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) welcomed the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) as a new partner of the Smart Sectors program.

“We are pleased to announce a new partnership between EPA’s Smart Sectors program and the National Association of Manufacturers’ Sustainability in Manufacturing Campaign,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This partnership will enable EPA to provide America’s manufacturers with greater regulatory certainty as we work together to improve environmental protections and economic outcomes.”

“Having decreased greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent while increasing our share of the economy by 19 percent over the last decade, manufacturers across America are delivering strong economic growth alongside environmental stewardship,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “With the regulatory certainty we’ve been given, manufacturers are committed to keeping our promise not only to create jobs, invest in our communities and increase wages and benefits—but also to build a future with cleaner air, cleaner water and a healthier environment. We are excited to partner with the EPA as we lead the way on smart sustainability practices and developing the technologies that will empower all industries to be more efficient and environmentally responsible.”

The NAM and the EPA’s Smart Sectors Program will work together to support the NAM’s Sustainability in Manufacturing campaign, in which manufacturers commit to three pillars of sustainability: environmental protection, economic performance, and the social well-being of the employees, communities, customers, and consumers they serve. Smart Sectors works to improve environmental outcomes by engaging in meaningful collaboration with trade groups representing 13 industry sectors. Partnering with the NAM and its Sustainability in Manufacturing Campaign will allow Smart Sectors to gain a better understanding of the broader manufacturing sector. This partnership will also encourage information sharing across the two organizations and facilitate communication between EPA and the manufacturing sector. The partnership was announced following EPA’s release, along with the rest of the federal government, of the Fall 2018 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions and Regulatory Plan, which shows continued commitment to regulatory reform.

EPA Smart Sectors is a partnership program that provides a platform to collaborate with regulated sectors and develop sensible approaches that better protect the environment and public health. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/smartsectors

The NAM is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector, and accounts for more than three quarters of all private-sector research and development in the nation. To learn more about the NAM, visit: http://www.nam.org/