Chicago, April 8-9, The Art Institute of Chicago

The inaugural Sustainable Manufacturing Summit took place in Chicago on April 8-9. With 250 attendees, this event was the largest gathering of sustainability professionals from the manufacturing sector.

The event focused on carbon reduction and climate impact strategies for every stage of the manufacturing process: from design through to consumption. Through a combination of case studies and expert panels, the summit highlighted what top manufacturers are doing to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by global warming. It also examined the domestic and global climate policy developments impacting manufacturers.

Over 50 top corporate speakers spoke at the summit including sustainability experts from GE, Dell, HP, IBM, Philips, Subaru, Johnson Controls, Kimberly-Clark, Cadbury Schweppes, Sharp, Caterpillar, Frito Lay, GM, Patagonia, Interface, and General Mills. One of the highlight’s was the event’s opening keynote by Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers who spoke about the need to develop low-carbon technologies and the challenges of cutting carbon while growing your business.