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MMTC-West Sustainability Services

Working with West Michigan Manufacturers to turn Green into Gold.

Saving costs, saving energy, saving the environment.  Sustainable manufacturing is the right thing to do because it makes good business sense.  The fact that it's also good for the environment? That's just icing on the cake. From adopting lean and green practices, to entering new markets in sustainability and alternative materials, to collaborating with your supply chain to create a true, closed-loop system, MMTC-West has the products and services to improve your performance in such areas as:
  • Environmental management systems
  • Energy management
  • Recycling and Waste Reduction
  • Green Manufacturing Technologies
  • Materials Management
  • Quality Certification 
  • Worker Safety

MMTC Sustainable Program Development and Implementation

There is increasing pressure for manufacturers to become more sustainable, but what does that mean?  With the right approach and defined goals, green manufacturing holds potential economic benefits including long-term cost savings, waste reductions and process efficiency improvements. Learn more, or contact our MMTC-West team.


Energy Champions: An MMTC-West Learning Series

The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects long-term price increases for both electricity and natural gas over the next 20 years. As the impacts of the recent global Climate Change Accord in Copenhagen and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent Greenhouse Gas emission reporting requirements for large dischargers take effect, additional pressure will be placed on businesses, institutions and governments to improve their performance. MMTC-West, Western Michigan University's Green Manufacturing Initiative, Sustainable Research Group and its partners are offering a five-part program to develop energy champions by adding new tools to their portfolio of skills and to benefit their organizations.

Curriculum (five, 2-hour sessions)
  • Session One:  Energy Accounting and Management Systems
  • Session Two:  Energy Audits and Building Envelope
  • Session Three:  HVAC and Lighting Systems
  • Session Four:  Motors and Equipment Loads
  • Session Five: How to Create a Company/Organization-Specific Plan

Download Series Brochure


Green Suppliers Network

Improve your competitiveness while reducing your impact on the environment. Companies that join the Green Suppliers Network will receive confidential guidance in:
  • Finding customized solutions for specific manufacturing challenges
  • Saving money and increasing capacity
  • Rapidly training employees to begin seeing immediate improvements
  • Achieving additional savings and efficiencies beyond traditional lean techniques
  • Improving supply chain relationships

Working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the Green Suppliers Network (GSN) to help manufacturers stay competitive and profitable while reducing their impact on the environment. MMTC-West works with the EPA to provide this resource to small and medium-sized manufacturers in West Michigan while protecting the confidentiality of each company's GSN process and findings -- the EPA is not involved in any onsite technical assistance. Learn More.


E3: Helping Communities Transition to the New Economy

Modeled after the Green Suppliers Network, E3—Economy, Energy, and Environment—is a coordinated federal and
local technical assistance initiative that helps communities work with their manufacturing base to adapt and thrive in a
new business era focused on sustainability. Joining forces with the local community, E3 providesmanufacturers with customized, hands-on assessments of production processes to reduce energy consumption, minimize their carbon footprint, prevent pollution, increase productivity, and drive innovation. Learn More


MMTC ISO 14001 Training and Implementation

ISO 14000 is a family of quality standards that addresses “Environmental Management” within private and public organizations. It serves as a guide for organizations to: minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and to achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance. Programs available include Building an ISO 14001 Program, ISO 14001 Internal Auditor Training, and Transition-Implementation Process Solution (TiPS) Program in ISO 14001. Learn More.


Green Materials & Chemistry User Group

Customers, investors and other corporate stakeholders are increasingly requesting information on the identity of the chemicals used in  products and manufacturing processes. This pressure is driven by a demand for the reduction and elimination of chemicals that have negative impacts on human health and ecosystem health throughout the life-cycle of a chemical, material or product. During this user group, participants with learn more about Green Chemistry, Chemical Regulations, Understanding risk and exposure, as well as a number of chemical and material assessment tools. Learn More.


Sustainable Manufacturing User Group

Increase profits and reduce environmental impact by understanding and implementing tools that support sustainable business practices. During this 10-week user group, participants will learn from certified facilitators and peers as they learn how to How to incorporate sustainable business practices, when and how to use bio-materials, how to use the 12 principles of green chemistry to identify safer materials, why life cycle analysis will be a major driver of product and process design in the next 10 years.  Learn More.