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A model for municipal partnership: Vaughan Manufacturers Sustainability Program
 The City of Vaughan is growing rapidly, both in citizenry and as a hub for industry. This growth is accompanied by an increased risk of detrimental environmental impact unless proper measures are taken to accommodate the growth responsibly. In 2005, the City of Vaughan Economic & Technology Development Department took a pro-active measure to protect ecosystem and public health by partnering with OCETA and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to launch the Vaughan Manufacturers Sustainability Program (VMSP). This program aimed at fostering sustainable behaviour among businesses provides small-to-medium sized manufacturers in Vaughan with technical and financial assistance to reduce their environmental impact. A renewed funding and partnership agreement between the three parties has been confirmed, which will see continued delivery of the program through 2007.
Vaughan is home to over 1,400 manufacturers employing close to 50,000 people. With all this activity, one might anticipate a source of significant environmental detriment, however it can also represent a pool of opportunities. Using the latter view, the Vaughan Manufacturers Sustainability Program is promoting sustainable business practices and serving as a model for other municipalities to follow suit.
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How it works:
Manufacturers in the City of Vaughan with fewer than 500 employees at the facility level could be eligible for a 50% cost-share subsidy on a multi-media pollution prevention assessment. OCETA utilizes a formidable roster of pollution prevention experts with experience spanning an array of industry sectors, and can match a facility with a best fit consultant. This consultant will identify opportunities for pollution prevention, waste reduction, and process optimization specific to a facility, and provide the company with high, medium, and low cost options to realize these opportunities. The result is improved environmental performance, reduced regulatory exposure, and money saved. |
To date, an auto parts manufacturer has successfully gone through the program in Vaughan, while an assessment for a tanker cleaner facility is in progress. VMSP partners are eager for more manufacturing clients to participate in the program. OCETA's manufacturing clients under the Toronto Region Sustainability Program have shown substantial improvement in their environmental performance and their economic bottom line through pollution prevention assessments. The same opportunity for tangible improvement is there for Vaughan's manufacturers.
While much of the management culture in manufacturing is of the impression that being environmentally responsible costs money, the results from companies going through the program show just the opposite. Relatively small capital investments have resulted in financial savings for a number of firms, often through straightforward process modifications. Simple changes such as feedstock substitution often lead to significant environmental reductions because their effects resonate through the entire manufacturing process. It shouldn’t be long before more start to realize these benefits.
For additional information on the Vaughan Manufacturers Sustainability Program, visit www.oceta.on.ca/TORSUS/vmsp.htm or contact Fred Granek, Vice President, OCETA, at 905 822 4133 x224, E-mail: fgranek@oceta.on.ca.
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