Ford said it was committed to making massive cuts in the waste it sends to landfill, as well as the water it uses, across its European production units.
The company said it would significantly increase the proportion of waste recycled and reused by cutting landfill waste by 70%. That means a reduction in the average landfill waste generated per vehicle to 1.5kg by 2016 from 5kg last year.
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Based on annual production of 1.2m vehicles, the automaker also will reduce water use by 30% saving EUR2.3m (US$ 3m) in the same timespan – approximately 1.3bn litres per year. This equates to an average saving of 1,100 litres for each vehicle produced.
Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe said, “This plan represents our pledge to minimise Ford’s impact on the environment both before and after our customers get behind the wheel. This goes hand in hand with our commitment to develop the most fuel efficient vehicles. Sustainability makes just as much sense for Ford as a business as it does for the environment.”
The announcement builds upon previous actions that have helped Ford of Europe become the global company’s lowest producer of landfill waste. It has has cut landfill-waste generation by 40% since 2007 and reduced water use by 37% over the same period.
The new commitment covers manufacturing in Genk, Belgium, Valencia, Spain, Saarlouis and Cologne, Germany plus Southampton, Bridgend and Dagenham, UK. Genk, Saarlouis and Cologne had previously taken significant steps to reduce landfill waste and are now all waste-to-landfill free, the automaker added.
