工業生產佔據世界能源消耗的一半以上，能源消耗量不斷增加且比例不均勻，這無法實現永續發展並凸顯了低碳、環保生產的緊迫性。解決途徑在於，在所有層面和整條價值鏈上對傳統生產進行整體改造。產品、製程與系統必須依據永續生產的技術可行性進行優化。
氣候變化和隨之產生的減少碳排放社會壓力與政策壓力，以及不斷飆升的能源價格，正在促使企業朝着提高永續生產的方向發展。可減少能源消耗和排放並降低碳足跡的企業不僅履行了社會責任，同時也邁出了實現循環經濟的第一步。此外，永續生產過程的應用可保證遵守永續發展法規，並爲提高利潤率和競爭優勢創造長期機遇。
Industrial employees with specialised knowledge and well-rounded fundamental skills are indispensable for realising the full potential of overall sustainable production. Energy management competencies are interdisciplinary, meaning that various training profiles, such as that of the classic electronics or electrical engineer, are being enhanced to include sustainability-related skills. In addition to these broad training requirements for green issues, there is also an increasingly diverse range of specific job profiles related to energy efficiency on the labour market. These include energy engineers and energy auditors, sustainability managers, greenhouse gas report auditors and carbon capture installers, to name just a few. Well-trained energy efficiency and environmental experts have excellent career opportunities, and this trend is rising.