Ford released its 16th annual Sustainability Report highlighting its achievement of several environmental goals.
They include Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly Plant attaining zero waste-to-landfill status – giving Ford the distinction of becoming landfill-free in all of its Mexico manufacturing facilities.
As a result, Ford Mexico’s manufacturing plants are diverting 1.5 million pounds of landfill waste this year and each year going forward.
The success of the Hermosillo facility, as well as Ford’s Cuautitlan and Chihuahua plants in Mexico, will help the company achieve its target of reducing global waste-to-landfill by 40 percent per vehicle produced from 2011 to 2016; Ford reduced global per vehicle waste-to-landfill by 40 percent from 2007 to 2011.
Work began nearly five years ago to make Ford Mexico’s manufacturing plants landfill free. Nearly 45 tons of cafeteria waste now are composted and reused by farmers to improve agricultural growth and community green areas surrounding the plants. Solvents are recycled and scrap aluminum is collected for reuse – creating closed-loop systems.
Hermosillo joins 27 other Ford facilities worldwide in achieving zero waste-to-landfill status. Thirteen of those facilities are in North America; seven are in Europe, five in Asia Pacific and three in South America.
Ford’s Sustainability Report also highlights the company’s work to meet its aggressive goal to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 percent per vehicle produced by 2025 globally.
From 2013 to 2014, CO2 emissions per vehicle produced decreased by more than 2.4 percent, and the company remains on track to meet its longer-term goal.
From 2011 to 2016, Ford’s average energy consumption is on track to decrease per vehicle produced globally by 25 percent. Plus, since 2000, Ford has invested more than $300 million on energy efficiency upgrades to its global facilities.
Furthering the company’s commitment to sustainable materials, Ford’s industry exclusive use of Repreve fiber will help divert more than 5 million plastic bottles from landfills by incorporating the fully sustainable material made of recycled plastic into the all-new 2015 F-150 pickup. F-150 is the fifth vehicle worldwide to be outfitted with Repreve. Ford began using Repreve in 2012, and remains the only automaker to do so.
Mindful of the present but with an eye on what’s to come, Ford is working to visualize the future of the company – guided by these mega trends:
•Urbanization, congestion: There are 28 megacities today – metropolitan areas with more than 10 million people. That’s expected to grow to 41 megacities worldwide by 2030. Today’s infrastructure can’t accommodate the number of vehicles projected to be on the road.
•Growing middle class: According to The Brookings Institution, the global middle class will double in size – from 2 billion to 4 billion – by 2030. Many will aspire to own vehicles – bringing a new set of challenges
•Limited natural resources: Companies will be challenged to find innovative ways to address the impacts of energy use, water use and increasing demand for raw materials.
Published in the October 2015 Edition of American Recycler News
