Green Village Philadelphia partnered with The Sustainable Business Network (SBN), Made in Philly and Green Perspective to present the Philadelphia Material Project (PMP) at the Center for Architecture.

On June 2nd 80 business people, policy makers and service providers came together to discuss "what will it take to redevelop a vibrant, sustainable, local manufacturing infrastructure in the Philadelphia region?".

The half day conference included case studies from Penn Scale Manufacturing Co., MIO and Rutgers University, sharing their personal experiences and lessons learned and covering a wide range of the manufacturing sector's supply chain from design to manufacturing to procurement. Following the case studies and facilitated discussions, a panel of local resource providers spoke on the ways in which they may be of assistance in addressing the issues facing the Philadelphia manufacturing community. These resources included financing, real estate and technical assistance.

PMP has launched a comprehensive study on the potential revival of local manufacturing and the workforce needs of sustainable manufacturers. The study will be conducted by SBN with input from PMP partners. It will incorporate shared insight from the event, additional case studies, interviews with local manufacturers, and input from service agencies, and will identify the strategies our community should take to spur the growth of the manufacturing sector.

Outreach partners for PMP and for the follow up study include PIDC, Philadelphia Commerce Dept., Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center, Urban Industry Initiative, Innovation Philadelphia and Design Philadelphia.

For further information on the event and the upcoming study contact Jen McCluskey Jen@sbnphiladelphia.org