Over the last two weeks we’ve covered some of the business benefits that green buildings offer, including cost savings and the command of premium rental rates. These economic incentives show a clear rationale for greening the buildings we see every day or looking towards green design for new construction projects. However, there are many more buildings involved in most companies’ value chains, with impacts that are less apparent to those of us working stateside.

Many domestic suppliers of large corporate customers outsource their manufacturing, and are looking for ways to measure these particular impacts. For example, many Wal-Mart suppliers outsource manufacturing to factories in China. Language, distance, and lack of familiarity regarding regulations can make finding an international partner a difficult task.

We partner with Efficiency Exchange (EEX), a company with offices in Reston, VA and in Shenzhen, China. EEX specializes in helping Chinese factories reduce energy consumption and emissions through efficiency.

Check out EEX’s website for information on their projects and to stay tuned for their upcoming events- they’re hosting a round table discussion this spring in DC on energy efficiency challenges facing Chinese factories!