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With a recent three-year United Nations environmental report spearheaded by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlighting dire warnings about human impact on the planet, leaders in the United States are under renewed pressure to find solutions that work. In communities across the country, manufacturers are taking a stand for sustainability – and demanding action against climate change.

While manufacturers have created their own policies to reduce pollution and increase sustainability, manufacturing leaders are increasingly pushing for action. Although policymakers in Washington have yet to settle on a unified approach, the manufacturing industry is making clear that the existing state of affairs is unsustainable.

“Manufacturers hope we can all agree that the current policy – a disjointed system of federal and state regulations that take decades to install and often fail – is not the answer,” said Ross Eisenberg, Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy at the 51�Թ���. “A piecemeal regulatory approach just isn’t going to cut it.”

While proposals like the Green New Deal have garnered significant press coverage without gaining a single vote in Congress, manufacturing leaders are seeking opportunities for consensus on climate legislation by focusing on actionable solutions. These proposals include scaling up the adoption of energy- and water-efficient products and technologies, prioritizing innovation and creating pathways for the deployment of new technologies like carbon capture, utilization and storage. It also involves working collaboratively by creating public-private partnerships between government and manufacturers to help them further decarbonize. Finally, manufacturers are encouraging the United States to reengage with the international community in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions together, rather than in isolation.

Manufacturers have unique qualifications to speak about this issue, as most have implemented meaningful programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pioneer new strategies and technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set aggressive emissions reduction targets.

These actions have had a significant effect. Over the past decade, the manufacturing industry has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent while the sector’s value to the economy has increased 19 percent. It’s outpacing competitors and demonstrating that it is possible to reduce emissions without falling behind in a global market.

“Our barometer is that manufacturers in America must stay competitive in the global economy, and that requires realistic, practical policies that we can implement while we continue to do the things that make the manufacturing sector strong,” said Eisenberg. “Speaking for the 12.8 million men and women who make things in America, we’re ready.”

Miles Fiberglass, a small family-owned Oregon manufacturing company, announced it has been able to increase its business by thirty five percent due to tax reform, resulting in a surge of new hires and investment.

Due to a new provision in the tax law allowing for immediate write-off of new equipment, Miles Fiberglass purchased a new semi-truck and a second mixer to set up room for demand from a new customer, saving money on the new assets in the process.

“This will be a major part of our business,” Miles Fiberglass president Lori Miles-Olund said. “Tax reform helped us secure that customer.”

The company’s business growth prompted leadership to hire roughly a dozen new employees. The company also purchased a new infusion gun, which dramatically reduces emissions in the manufacturing process and enables further growth while creating a cleaner work environment for employees.

“They see the growth thanks to tax reform,” Miles-Olund said. “They see the addition of customers. It puts them at ease that business is good.”

Last year, Miles Fiberglass raised its starting wage by 9 percent thanks to the tax law, bumping everyone up the chart.  Growth has continued this year, and the company is already setting up plans to increase production for yet another customer.

“It’s going to be easier for us to get financing for future capital and purchase more equipment,” Miles-Olund said.

“It’s clear that, more than a year after its passage, tax reform continues to provide a boost to the U.S. economy and the U.S. manufacturing industry,” 51�Թ���’ Vice President of Tax and Domestic Economy Policy Chris Netram said. “Rolling back the law would only hurt manufacturers like Miles Fiberglass, and we’re seeing that concern reflected in our latest survey.”

Manufacturing businesses have long been proponents of equality in the workplace. As legislation to codify protections for LGBT individuals passes through the House of Representatives, the 51�Թ��� joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, and other members of the business community in advocating its passage, forging coalitions and providing congressional testimony.

Introduced with bipartisan support in the U.S. House and Senate in March, the Equality Act includes federal protections for individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity under the existing framework of the Civil Rights Act, which already provides protection against discrimination on the basis of religion, national origin, race, color or sex. The goal of the legislation is to ensure that no person can face legal discrimination based on their gender or sexual orientation, setting a clear federal standard to enable individuals to succeed based on their abilities and qualifications to perform a job.

“Employers understand the importance of creating an environment in which the very best people can succeed based on merit,” Patrick Hedren, 51�Թ��� vice president, labor, legal and regulatory policy, said. “At the same time, manufacturers know that discrimination in any form is antithetical to the values that we work to uphold every day: equality of opportunity, individual liberty, free enterprise and competitiveness.”

In March, more than 40 other industry associations rallied to support the Equality Act, providing an important boost for the groundbreaking legislation. In the weeks since, manufacturing representatives have testified before the House Education and Labor Committee and signed a coalition letter to the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services calling for the Act’s passage. As Congress considers the way forward, manufacturers have made clear that they intend to advocate forcefully on behalf of the legislation and uphold their commitment to workers of every gender identity and sexual orientation.

“The Equality Act creates a clear federal standard that matches the sentiments manufacturers already share: gender identity and sexual orientation have no impact on an employee’s abilities and discrimination is not welcome on the manufacturing floor,” Hedren said. “We look forward to working with Congress as this important legislation moves ahead.”

The “slam dunk” tax reform bill is leading to big bonuses, new jobs and a huge nationwide investment says the team at Wilmington, North Carolina’s, Atlantic Packaging.

The 75-year-old family-owned business specializes in commercial packaging for some of the biggest companies in the country. Thanks to tax reform, they’re making sure to pass along the savings to their employees, who Wes Carter, president of Atlantic Packaging, describes as their “number-one asset.”

Immediately after tax reform passed, “we decided to hand out bonuses right away,” said Carter. “We knew this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The culture of our company is all about our people. We think that the quality of our people is what differentiates us in the marketplace and makes us a unique supplier. For us, handing out bonuses was an investment in our most valuable resource: our people. Companies create culture by having happy, dedicated employees, who want to have a long-term career at a quality organization. Giving bonuses didn’t even take any debate—we all knew it was the right thing to do.”

As a result of tax reform, Atlantic Packaging employees will be joined by many new coworkers—because tax reform has allowed the company to add jobs, grow the number of facilities and take their company nationwide.

“Tax dollars will help us grow our business,” Carter said. “Atlantic is positioned to become a national company, enhancing our ability to service our clients across North America. Tax reform will help us open new facilities and hire new employees nationwide.”

That’s exactly what Atlantic Packaging is doing. A new $10 million packaging center in Charlotte opened last fall and is now the most advanced package testing facility in the world. Carter also plans to invest in new equipment that will increase productivity and efficiency, including new printing presses and die-cutters for Atlantic’s manufacturing operations.

“All of that takes cash,” said Carter. “We’re able to make these investments, in part, because of tax reform.”

The increased number of facilities means that Atlantic Packaging plans to add up to 20 to 30 jobs a year for the foreseeable future as demand continues to increase. In 2018 alone, the company already has created 25 new jobs and completed a strategic acquisition in the Northeast.

Carter told the 51�Թ���, “We’ve hired sales and sales support people in Kansas City, in Los Angeles, Dallas, Texas and in Portland, Oregon. We opened a new facility in Memphis, Tennessee and in Greenville, South Carolina. Certainly, tax reform has given us the additional confidence to push ahead with these strategic moves.”

“I know tax reform became a partisan issue in Washington, but to me, it was pretty plain and simple,” said Carter. “Because we are all operating in a global economy, U.S. companies need a fair and competitive tax code to remain healthy and vibrant. To me, tax reform was a slam dunk. It’s already proving itself by bringing jobs and major corporate investment back to the United States. The future for American manufacturing is really bright, and that’s the first time in my career I can say that. I’ve never seen so much confidence in the marketplace.”

Thanks to tax reform, Complex Chemical Company Incorporated of Tallulah, Louisiana, is hiring more workers, raising wages and making critical new investments that will help grow its business.

Travis Melton, Complex Chemical’s vice president of sales and marketing, said that his company’s first order of business after tax reform passed was to give an immediate raise to every single one of its 120 employees. It’s the first time in several years that the company was able to give such substantial, across-the-board pay increases.

Melton also explained that tax reform is helping Complex Chemical reinvest in its business and accelerate its expansion plans.

“We’ve had an expansion in the works for two years,” Melton said. “Because the corporate tax rates have been reduced, it’s easier for us to move forward with this expansion and another one we have around the corner. Tax reform helps move these investments.”

One of the biggest additions is the installation of a new distillation column, which Melton says will help increase production capabilities and leave the door open for future expansion. Right now, Complex Chemical’s facilities are operating at maximum capacity.

To staff its growth, Complex Chemical plans to hire new workers in the coming months—offering high-paying, highly skilled jobs that will help operate the new expanded facility.

Melton is optimistic about the future, largely as a result of tax reform.

“For the first time in 20 to 25 years, you have some major players in the U.S. natural gas industry announcing new facilities in the United States,” he said, referring to Complex Chemical’s suppliers. “They decided to do their expansion here because the tax bill makes it worth it. That means more readily available byproduct, which we purchase. And more byproduct allows us to increase the amount of product we sell.”

“Tax reform is having a major impact,” Melton added—not just for Complex Chemical, but for its suppliers and the industry as a whole. “It’s like throwing a rock in the middle of the pond—the ripples hit all sides of the pond.”