Green Suppliers
Network 
An Industry-Government Collaboration
The Green Suppliers Network (GSN), a collaborative venture between industry,
the EPA and the 360vu, the national account brand of the NIST Manufacturing
Extension Partnership (MEP), works with all levels of the manufacturing
supply chain to achieve environmental and economic benefits. GSN improves
performance, minimizes waste generation and removes institutional roadblocks
through its innovative approach to leveraging a national network of manufacturing
technical assistance resources. With GSN support, suppliers can continuously
improve their products and processes, increase energy efficiency, identify
cost-saving opportunities, and optimize resources and technologies with
the aim of eliminating waste.
Key GSN features include:
· Technical Reviews. A local 360vu MEP center will perform
industry-specific, one-on-one Reviews at the supplier's manufacturing
facility. 360vu centers are responsible for providing business-focused
solutions to industry processes as well as addressing environmental concerns.
State environmental technical assistance offices provide additional support.
EPA is not involved in any on-site technical assistance.
· Lean and Clean. Using Lean & Clean manufacturing
practices, your GSN review team will focus on incorporating energy and
materials efficiency and process optimization into the supply chain, which
in turn can lead to substantial environmental and economic benefits. The
360vu Review will produce process and value stream maps of a selected
process.
· Outreach. By partnering with and working through leading
companies, the GSN approach can reach all tiers of the supply chain.
· Metrics. Aggregate economic and environmental benefits
are quantified through the simple and hassle-free data collection and
reporting capabilities of 360vu Centers.
· Continuous improvement. GSN establishes a permanent delivery
mechanism to engage manufacturers and their suppliers in continuous environmental/economic
improvement.
· Removing Obstacles. GSN encourages suppliers to identify
obstacles such as out-dated specifications or regulations, and provides
a forum for identifying options for change.
· Partnerships. GSN will partner with state, local and
other federal agencies to bring the best technical, financial and research
assistance to participating companies. GSN, which was piloted in the automotive
industry, today is reaching out to suppliers in the aerospace and healthcare
industries. That model will continue to expand into additional industry
sectors such as appliances, consumer products, heavy equipment, and others.
The Green Suppliers Network is an umbrella program under which several
partnerships will be conducted. The Suppliers'
Partnership for the Environment  ,
an automotive trade association, is the first such partnership and one
that is exclusively centered on the automobile supply chain. GSN is the
evolution and replication of the automotive model to other industry sectors.
For additional information, please contact: Kris Pierre, Program Director,
Green Suppliers Network at 202-564-8837 / pierre.kristin@ epa.gov or Mark
Schmit, Manager, NIST MEP National Accounts at (301) 975-3255 / mark.schmit@nist.gov.
A new GSN web site is under development. An announcement of its launch
will be made in January 2004.
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