Greentech Lead America: Automobile major Ford has reduced the average amount of water used to make each vehicle by 8.5 percent between 2011 and 2012.
The company has set a goal of using an average of just 4 cubic meters per vehicle globally by 2015, and currently it is more than halfway toward that goal.
Since 2000, Ford has reduced the amount of water it uses in everything from cooling towers to parts washing and paint operations by 10.6 billion gallons, or 62 percent.
Ford has achieved this by aggressively monitoring and managing just about every drop of water going into and out of its facilities and properties, says Andy Hobbs, director, Environmental Quality Office.
Ford voluntarily launched its Global Water Management Initiative in 2000, putting in place ways to manage water conservation, quality and reuse of storm and process water. Since then Ford decreased the total amount of water used around the world annually from 64 million cubic meters to 24 million cubic meters.
“That’s about 10.6 billion gallons of water that was conserved and went to use somewhere else,” says Hobbs.
“Ford recognizes the critical importance of water, and is committed to conserving water and using it responsibly,” says Robert Brown, vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Many vehicle manufacturing processes require water and the resource is used at every point in our supply chain.”
Ford aims to use an average of 1,056 gallons of water to make each vehicle globally – consistent with its overall goal of a 30 percent reduction in the amount of water used per vehicle between 2009 and 2015.
Ford had a positive impact on the world’s water supply in many ways during 2012. The Ford Fund, for example, supported 19 different water-related projects in Chna, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Germany and South Africa.
Ford has also initiated its biggest water-related projects within its own facilities. They include Cologne Engine Plant in Germany, Silverton Assembly Plant in South Africa, Chennai Assembly Plant in India, Chongqing Assembly 1 and Chongqing Assembly 2 in China and Louisville Assembly Plant in the U.S.