The 2050 EU Energy Road Map: EU Must Shift to Renewable Energy; Manufacturers Embrace Sustainability

The 2050 energy road map for the European Union to be published by the end of this year will conclude that the EU must make a drastic shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. A draft of the proposed plan notes that because of this change, electricity prices will rise until 2030 as the renewable sources are brought up to scale, but will become cheaper over time. The draft report notes that alternative energy will not only curb emissions but also restrict exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices and vulnerability to imported oil and gas supplies.

The importance of sustainability to manufacturers has increased dramatically over the last two years, according to a study by American Small Manufacturers Coalition. The 2011 Next Generation Manufacturing Study, conducted by the Manufacturing Performance Institute, reports that 59 percent of manufacturers now rate sustainability as important to their success, up from 35 percent in 2009. 27 percent of manufacturers now see themselves as at a "world class" level of sustainability, up from 7 percent in 2009.