Insights from ESG in Manufacturing Summit: Driving Sustainability in the Manufacturing Sector

By: C. Rebecca Locker PhD, Sustainability Director, Sabert Corporation

As the Sustainability Director at Sabert, I recently had the privilege of attending and speaking at the 2nd Annual ESG in Manufacturing Summit in Denver, Colorado. This unique event focused on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) in the manufacturing sector and brought together about 100 professionals from diverse industries, ranging from recycling and heavy equipment to food, packaging, chemicals, and automotive.

The summit provided an invaluable platform for sustainability leaders to share knowledge, solve problems collectively, and strengthen our community. Here are some key takeaways from this enlightening event:

ESG Reporting: Regulations increasingly mandate continuous progress on sustainable products, services, and operations, which is subject to third-party auditing and verification.

Embedding Sustainability Across Business Functions: The most effective organizations are those that integrate sustainability KPIs and lifecycle thinking into every business function. This approach helps overcome the challenge of lean sustainability teams by leveraging existing processes and tools.

Balancing Data Collection and Strategic Planning: A significant challenge for sustainability professionals is the time consumed by data collection and reporting - up to 75% of their time. To address this, companies are turning to:

  • Digitalization and automation of data collection and analysis
  • Balancing internal and external resources, including leveraging consultants for supplier engagement and compliance verification

Elements of Effective Sustainability Strategies

The summit highlighted several key components of successful sustainability strategies:

  • Strong alignment and support across all functions, including C-suite buy-in and cross-functional working groups
  • Regular materiality and risk assessments to identify and prioritize sustainability topics
  • A phased approach with realistic roadmaps and goals
  • Realizing the full business value of sustainability, from compliance and resilience to stakeholder engagement and partnerships

I'm proud to say that Sabert played an active role in the summit. We led two expert sessions:

  • A workshop on "Leveraging Product Lifecycle Assessments for Strategic Planning"
  • A speed learning session on "Best Practices for Zero Waste in Manufacturing"

Both sessions were met with enthusiasm and sparked valuable discussions among attendees.

The most inspiring aspect of the summit was the opportunity to connect with fellow sustainability professionals who share a passion for harmonizing human needs with planetary well-being. As we continue our sustainability journey at Sabert, these insights and connections will undoubtedly inform and enhance our strategies moving forward.