by Jbs101208 j3 — October 15, 2008—Major manufacturing and business sectors are improving environmental performance to cut waste, improve economic competitiveness, and gain other important benefits, according to a new report from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighting environmental trends in some of the nation’s most important economic sectors.
According to the report, steel recycling in the US reached an all-time high in 2005, chemical manufacturers cut air emissions in half from 1995 to 2006, and cement manufacturers reduced their waste per unit of production by one quarter during the same decade.
EPA’s 2008 Sector Performance Report provides environmental profiles of 12 major sectors of the US economy: cement manufacturing, construction, ports, chemical manufacturing, colleges and universities, food and beverage manufacturing, forest products, iron and steel, metal casting, oil and gas, paint and coatings, and shipbuilding and ship repair.
The third in a series of sector-based environmental performance reports, this update shows the location and concentration of sector facilities across the country, and provides expanded analyses of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
The report shows each sector’s environmental impact, including air emissions, water discharges, and waste disposal. It also gives a 10-year portrait of performance trends for the nine industrial sectors: for example, air emissions per unit of production fell from four percent to 67 percent from 1996 to 2005, representing more than 300 million pounds fewer air emissions each year.
Using government and industry data and case studies, the report also shows areas of progress and highlights where targeted efforts are still needed. To view the report and learn more about EPA’s work with business and manufacturing sectors, visit EPA’s Sector Strategies Program Web site.
