Sustainability and climate change are top of the global agenda – a critical theme at the heart of key business and political discussions, such as the 2020 WEF at DAVOS,1 the G20 summits,2 COP25,3 the US presidential debates,4 as well as COP26. The manufacturing sector has also embraced this critical topic and is taking steps to become more sustainable. Today, successful manufacturers understand that environmental responsibility not only meets the needs of the planet and wider society, it is also an integral part of the entire manufacturing value chain and delivers significant business opportunities and benefits.

To understand where the manufacturing sector currently stands in terms of sustainability in operations, we launched a comprehensive research program among large manufacturers, surveying 480 executives from the businessfacing side of organizations and 480 executives from sustainability functions. The sub-industries surveyed include aerospace and defense, automotive, industrial and capital goods, high-tech, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices manufacturing. In addition, we conducted one-on-one interviews with a range of sustainability leaders at major manufacturers.

This research focuses on the environmental pillar of sustainability and addresses a number of key questions: • Are organizations’ approaches comprehensive enough, with action across the full value chain from procurement to end of life?

• Are manufacturers embracing all the weapons in the sustainability armory, from reducing waste to re-manufacture?

• How can executives exploit the potential of technology to sustainability progress?

This research report offers answers to these key questions and examines four themes: 1. What “sustainable manufacturing” is and why it constitutes a major opportunity for manufacturers 2. How few organizations are on track to become sustainable manufacturers, despite the sector’s high ambitions 3. How technology is helping manufacturers to meet the goals of their sustainability agenda 4. How manufacturers can reach their sustainability goals.