Sustainable Manufacturing Expo Hits North America

In just the past two or three years, sustainability has become a major concern for corporations globally. You can’t attend an earnings report that doesn’t feature a rundown of the company’s environmental progress. Every stakeholder group wants to know what companies are doing to reduce their carbon output.

These concerns have now come slamming down on the manufacturing industry. It’s time for manufacturers to collectively put on their thinking caps. And just in time, we get the launch of an annual event devoted to helping the industry move forward.

Informa Markets Engineering, a leading event producer and publisher for the advanced manufacturing, has launched the Sustainable Manufacturing Expo. The event will showcase the emerging technologies, innovations, and thought leadership needed to push sustainable manufacturing forward. It will take place February 4-5, 2025, at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

Advances in sustainable manufacturing have been spurred on by government regulations and reporting directives. Investors are demanding Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) information to make decisions. Consumers who prioritize environmental considerations with significance are influencing brand decisions and purchasing behaviors. With the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in effect and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Climate Disclosure Rules expected to proceed in 2025, now is the time for manufacturers to forge clear sustainability plans.

Technology and Innovations Reduce Carbon

The Sustainable Manufacturing Expo will be an exclusive tradeshow and conference focused on the technologies and innovations to mitigate the carbon footprint, drive energy conservation, and push operational efficiencies in manufacturing. The show floor will feature over 150 exhibitors offering solutions like digital twin technology, biomaterials, IOT sensors, automation, cobots, edge AI, cloud computing technology, prototyping and lifecycle packaging to name a few.

Thought leadership and educational content will focus on regulatory reporting guidance, case studies examining success in implementation, product demos, and expert insights from leading industry authorities in renewable and sustainable manufacturing.

Jumping Aboard Emissions Reporting

To date, over 6,500 manufacturing companies have aligned to the Science Based Targets Initiative for emissions reporting, with almost half of the commitment and targets made in 2023 alone, according to Omdia’s 2024 State of Industrial Sustainability Report. In addition, two thirds of companies are leveraging existing datasets, such as operational data to track environmental performance, while only 38% are currently collecting data to assess and optimize sustainability activities. Most of the sustainability targets set by manufacturers are planned for the short to midterm, with over 91% of companies having milestones for compliance by 2030 or earlier. As businesses move deeper into efforts to meet ESG goals, navigating the future of manufacturing has become a necessity.

“Manufacturers seek guidance and expertise now more than ever to incorporate sustainable processes into all areas of their operations and may lack awareness of the tools and resources available to them,” said Melissa Magestro, VP at Informa Markets Engineering and the founder of Sustainable Manufacturing Expo. “Our goal launching this event addressing sustainable manufacturing is to provide leaders and companies with the platform to successfully discover, adopt and responsibly integrate initiatives for both long- and short-term needs that ultimately drive bottom line revenue with efficiencies.”

It's All in the Data

Companies need data to effectively implement changes. Not only are they going to have to publicly report their performance, but a data-led approach will be the foundation for any sustainable transition. “Being able to monitor and even simulate the impact of changes to the business, across different businesses functions, and to the bottom line will only be achievable when you have data to help understand the short- and long-term implications,” said Alex West, senior principal analyst for government and manufacturing at the Omdia Group, Informa Tech.

Sustainability has become an industry imperative as companies seek to not only meet ESG compliance standards but to also create and increase operational efficiencies across their business units. “Data is a fundamental element of embracing sustainable manufacturing as it allows the leaders across these companies to better champion environmental initiatives by taking a holistic view of operations while also understanding executional consideration,” said Tom O’Reilly, VP of sustainability at Rockwell Automation and advisory board member for Sustainable Manufacturing Expo. “We look forward to partnering with Informa Markets to bring the goals of the Sustainable Manufacturing Expo to fruition.”

Companies with long-term sustainability roadmaps have been found to perform more effectively with an Overall Equipment Effectiveness score on average 11 points higher than those without a sustainability strategy, also benefitting from greater energy savings according to Omdia. As the pressures to introduce or meet ESG targets grow, the price point of sustainable operations will continue to become increasingly advantageous.

Visit Sustainable Manufacturing Expo to stay up to date on the upcoming or to learn about exhibition opportunities.