DETROIT—General Motors is pledging to only produce electric cars by 2035 and become carbon neutral by 2040.

WASHINGTON--The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) have formed a strategic partnership that focuses on sustainability in manufacturing.

When it comes to jewelry, copper is definitely less valuable than gold or silver. In the world of assembly, however, copper is much more in demand. Its uses range from electrical conductors in wire, to solar-cell foundations, to sheet metal products for commercial and residential applications.

GAITHERSBURG, MD—The National Institute of Standards and Technology has created a new international standard that maps environmental aspects of manufacturing processes.

ZEELAND, MI—For the past decade and a half, office furniture manufacturer Herman Miller Inc. has been practicing sustainability: earning a profit, protecting the environment and improving their community.

Manufacturers are pursuing a wide variety of “green” initiatives, such as energy-efficient lighting, landfill gas, recycling, solar panels and wind turbines. In fact, more than one-half of our 2014 State of the Profession respondents claim their plant has implemented green-related programs during the past 12 months. That’s a 3 percentage point increase over 2013 and 8 percentage points higher than 2012.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA—Boeing and Lockheed were among several companies honored last week for leadership in manufacturing by consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

Being green and sustainable is trendy in all industries today. Unfortunately, many different definitions and concepts exist, which can be confusing to small- and medium-sized companies.

The latest technologies for robotics and automated assembly will be on display at the Automatica show June 3-6 in Munich, Germany.