Ford Motor Company announced a new five-year global waste reduction strategy. All which will reduce the amount of waste-to-landfill. All to just 13.4 pounds per vehicle.
Let’s hear it: a 40% reduction.
The comprehensive strategy covers all angles of Ford’s waste reduction plans. That’s from working with global suppliers to use more eco-friendly packaging. For it even addresses kitchen waste.
Reducing waste isn’t just and environmentally friendly idea for Ford. For it it also has financial benefits. I mean in 2012 Ford generated $225 million in revenue. All by recycling scrap metal in the US and Canada. Thereby proving again that sustainability doesn’t have to come at the expense of profitability.
Here’s part of the release!
Ford Aims to Cut Waste-to-Landfill 40 Percent per Vehicle by 2016 through New Five-Year Global Waste Reduction Plan
The new five-year global waste reduction strategy encompasses Ford’s overall “Reduce, reuse and recycle” commitment. For that applies to all facets of the company. I mean from the vehicles it makes to the facilities where they are made.
Plan builds on the success the company saw between 2007 and 2011. Especially when the amount of waste sent to landfill per vehicle dropped from 37.9 to 22.7 pounds. So that’s a 40 percent reduction.
DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 27, 2013 – Cutting waste-to-landfill at Ford’s Van Dyke Transmission Plant has always been important to workers there. However, they weren’t satisfied until last fall. Especially when a small, diligent local committee played a major role. That’s in solving a nagging 10-ton problem.
The solution – a way to keep 10 tons’ worth of 8-foot-long, 350-pound fabric coolant filters from being landfilled monthly. For it means the Van Dyke facility is Ford’s first North American zero waste-to-landfill transmission plant. For it now diverts a total of 15 tons of waste-from-landfill monthly.
In addition, the comprehensive strategy covers all angles of Ford’s waste reduction plans. That’s from working with global suppliers to use more eco-friendly packaging. Thereby enabling employees such as those at Van Dyke to play an active role. All in coming up with ways to help Ford reach its goals. Even kitchen waste is addressed.
There can also be financial benefits:
In 2012, Ford generated $225 million in revenue through the recycling of 568,000 tons of scrap metal in the U.S. and Canada.
For the new strategy also builds on the success the company saw between 2007 and 2011. Especially when the amount of waste sent to landfill per vehicle dropped from 37.9 to 22.7 pounds. Again, a 40 percent reduction. Reductions were accomplished through the launch of new initiatives and programs, such as paint waste recycling at facilities in Australia, Thailand, India and Spain.
Other actions identified as key near-term goals for waste reduction at Ford facilities around the world include:
Identifying the five largest volume waste-to-landfill streams at each plant, developing plans to reduce each and tracking progress
Minimizing waste by leveraging the Ford production system – a continuously improving, flexible and disciplined common global production system that encompasses a set of principles and processes to drive lean manufacturing
Improving waste sorting procedures to make recycling and reuse easier
Investing in new technologies that minimize waste, such as dry-machining
Expanding programs that deal with managing specific kinds of waste like metallic particles from the grinding process and paint sludge.
Van Dyke Plant
Dave Lewis, environmental engineer at the Van Dyke plant, said he believes one particular aspect of the new global waste strategy could yield the best results – enabling and encouraging local personnel to affect change.
Between 2010 and 2012, Van Dyke kept 111 tons of waste from landfill. Van Dyke became a zero waste-to-landfill plant in late 2012 after the environmental committee there figured out on their own how to deal with giant, 8-foot-long, 350-pound fabric coolant filters that were creating 10 tons of waste a month.
Robert Brown, vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, said Van Dyke is being used as a model for Ford facilities around the world. That’s exemplifying how Ford will succeed in reaching the goals outlined in the new waste reduction strategy.
Zero Waste Globally
Ford’s push to establish more zero waste-to-landfill facilities globally is one element of the company’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact. Other initiatives include:
Greenhouse gas emissions:
Reduce from manufacturing facilities by 30 percent per vehicle between 2010 and 2025
Water use:
Reduce the amount used in the manufacture of each vehicle by 30 percent between 2009 and 2015
Energy consumption:
25 percent reduction in average consumption per vehicle globally between 2011 and 2016.
Source: Ford Motor Company
http://corporate.ford.com.
