Greentech Lead America: Ford has reported 37 percent per vehicle drop in CO2emission levels at global facilities between 2000 and 2012 as per the data in its 14th annual Sustainability Report. The auto maker also plans a 30 percent reduction between 2010 and 2025.
Ford’s sustainability efforts strengthened by strong product line, including giving customers six electrified vehicle choices: Fusion Hybrid, C-MAX Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid; Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrids; and Focus Electric.
Already, total CO2Â emissions at Ford’s global facilities have dropped by 4.65 million metric tons, or 47 percent since 2000. Ford also delivered on its commitment to reduce U.S. facility emissions by 10 percent per vehicle produced between 2002 and 2012, as part of an Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers program.
Vehicle tailpipe emissions on a per vehicle basis have dropped 16 percent since 2007 as new vehicles such as Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid have become available.
Ford has even bigger plans to reduce CO2 – one of several priorities outlined in its “Blueprint for Sustainability: Our Journey Continues.” Other subjects in the voluntary report range from reduced water use and energy consumption to cutting the amount of waste-to-landfill at Ford facilities around the world.
Ford has developed products and technologies along with processes at its facilities and plans to meet its own targets while also doing its part to help keep CO2 levels in the Earth’s atmosphere at or below 450 parts per million – a goal many scientists, businesses and governmental agencies say must be met to avoid the most serious effects on climate change.
Ford’s EcoBoost engines – now on more than 600,000 Ford Motor Company vehicles –improve fuel economy and cut CO2. And since sales began of Ford C-MAX Hybrid and Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, more than 20 billion grams of CO2 have been saved. Emissions from C-MAX Energi are less than half the average CO2 that comes from a regular car.
The C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi are part of six electrified vehicle choices from Ford. Other vehicles are: Fusion Hybrid, Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, Fusion Energi plug-in hybrids and Focus Electric.
At its facilities, Ford is expanding its 3-Wet paint capacity by 50 percent this year – adding the environmentally friendly process to four more plants on three continents. Increased use of this process, which streamlines the painting process, is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 25 percent where used.
And in the last eight years, company scientists have developed the Ford CO2 Model – a business planning tool that takes into consideration data and regulations from, among others, the International Energy Agency, National Center for Atmospheric Research, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Ford also worked with researchers at Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden, and from companies such as BP in the process of developing the CO2 Model.
The company has trained 325 suppliers in sustainability management in 2012 as part of Ford’s Code of Human Rights, Basic Working Conditions and Corporate Responsibility; nearly 2,100 suppliers have been trained through the program.
Ford has reduced waste-to-landfill by 19 percent per vehicle between 2011 and 2012, part of a plan to cut the amount of waste-to-landfill 40 percent per vehicle by 2016 (baseline is 2011); and reduced global water use by 1.95 million cubic meters from 2011 to 2012.
The company has cut global use of water per vehicle produced to 4.3 cubic meters (one cubic meter equals 264 gallons) in 2012 – down from 4.7 cubic meters in 2011 and 5.1 cubic meters in 2010. The company targets a 2 percent reduction in 2013 and continues working toward cutting water use 30 percent per vehicle by 2015 (2009 baseline). It has reduced global water use by 62 percent between 2000 and 2012 – equal to about 10 billion gallons.