Project background
The Clean Industry Initiative aims to help local industries and businesses achieve climate goals and remain competitive. It also supports a just transition as it creates opportunities for workers and communities at the frontlines of the climate crisis in the transition to a fossil fuel-free economy.
The Clean Industry Initiative emerged from conversations between the City of Portland and community members. Those involved recognized the need to transition to clean energy (“decarbonize”) and identified challenges and opportunities involved in the process.
Industrial carbon emissions can be hard to reduce for some businesses. For example, some processes require high temperatures that can’t be produced with electricity or raw materials with large carbon footprints. In other cases, the technology may exist, but businesses may not have the knowledge or resources to make those changes.
While a transition to clean energy has challenges, it also offers many benefits. These include cost savings, environmental improvements, and access to new products and markets.
The future of job growth in Portland will center on businesses that work towards climate goals. The industrial sector provides about 22% of jobs in Portland. Many of those are middle-wage jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. This can help reduce the wage and racial wealth gap in our region and benefit the entire community.
This initiative also connects to the City of Portland’s Climate Emergency Workplan, which describes the actions Portland can and must take to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. These actions make Portlanders more resilient, especially communities of color and those most at-risk and vulnerable to impacts of climate change.
The Clean Industry Initiative is timely as industrial decarbonization has gained traction nationally and internationally, and the Inflation Reduction Act and Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap support investments in American manufacturing.
Clean Industry Assessment & Roadmap
The Clean Industry Initiative is shaped by input from industrial businesses, climate and environmental justice advocates, labor representatives, researchers, government entities, and other key partners.
The initiative uses a collaborative and data-driven approach to help us understand the current landscape of Portland’s industrial sector; identify opportunities for clean, decarbonized, and inclusive practices; and define a “roadmap” of next steps.
The assessment process provided insight into existing industrial practices and conditions. It also helped gather lessons learned from clean industry hub models from around the world as well as policy and finance tools.
The roadmap process engaged key partners to review findings and identify next steps. This work was led by BPS staff and a team of consultants and guided by a group of advisors representing diverse sectors and expertise.
View the Clean Industry Assessment findings:
Contact us
The success of this initiative depends on everyone working together toward shared goals. If you have questions or comments, please contact us.