What Is the Better Plants Program?
The Better Plants program helps industrial organizations set and meet ambitious energy, water, waste, and carbon emission reduction targets. Over 250 Better Plants partners, including manufacturers, municipal organizations, and retailers, have saved energy equivalent to cost savings of over $9 billion.
There are several ways industries can partner with Better Plants:
Better Plants Program
Manufacturers participating in the program pledge to reduce energy intensity throughout all their U.S. manufacturing operations by 25% over ten years and report on their progress to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In exchange, DOE helps manufacturers meet their targets through technical support, recognition, and additional resources.
The Better Plants Challenge
Like Program partners, Challenge partners pledge to reduce energy intensity by 25% over ten years and also share their progress publicly to spread best practices and push for even greater improvements.
The Better Climate Challenge
The Better Climate Challenge is a voluntary platform for organizations to set portfolio-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals and showcase how they are taking steps to address climate change.
Partnering organizations commit to reducing their Scope One and Two greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% within 10 years (25% for energy-intensive industries). Partners set and pursue an energy efficiency target as well and may leverage the Better Climate partner network and DOE resources to help them do so.
Program Impact
The Better Plants Program works with leading manufacturers and water utilities to improve energy efficiency and competitiveness in the industrial sector.
What Are the Benefits of Participating?
DOE's Industrial Technologies Office (ITO) connects Better Plants partners with a national lab-based technical account manager (TAM). Each TAM provides the partner with customized assistance in meeting their energy performance targets, including coordinating in-plant trainings, webinars, and direct one-on-one consultations. TAMs can help partners identify which energy efficiency and decarbonization pathways are the best fit for their organization.
Partner organizations also get DOE recognition that highlights their high level of commitment to energy, water, waste, and emission reductions.
Better Plants partners are encouraged to take advantage of ITO's other free technical assistance offerings like the Onsite Energy Program, Energy Management Programs, software tools, and more to help them reach their energy, water, waste, and carbon reduction goals.
Who Can Get Involved?
Industrial organizations of all sizes can sign up to one of several different initiatives within the Better Plants framework, depending on the goals that best fit their organizations’ objectives. The Better Plants network includes facilities in every U.S. state and territory and represents 14% of the total U.S. manufacturing footprint. Organizations from family-owned small businesses to members of the Fortune 100 are all represented in the Better Plants network.
