Ford Motor Company, as a very responsible global corporate citizen, is involved in a host of projects aimed at reducing water use through recycling and relooking technologies in processes that use water so that far less is consumed. Ford’s host of projects to achieve measurable reductions in water use have been acknowledged as world-leading for the past two years by CDP, an international company which is driving sustainable economies.
CDP rates companies in a host of environmental categories annually, with water saving being one of the most important. Ford has now been rated one of only a few A Grade companies in the world in this regard. In both cases it is the only motor manufacturer in the United States to have received this accolade.
More than 400 companies had been considered by CDP for its A Grade rating in 2015 but only eight companies qualified in their detailed survey. Ford was one of two motor companies in this group and the only one in the US. Two South African companies, Harmony Gold Mining and Kumba Iron Ore were on the A Grade list.
The number of A Grade companies rose to 25 in CDP’s 2016 report but only four motor companies are on the latest list, with Ford again the only one in the US.
“Access to clean, affordable drinking water is a basic human right. We have worked diligently to set goals to reduce our water use while introducing innovative manufacturing technologies to help us achieve these goals,” says Andrew Hobbs, Global Director, Environmental Quality Office, Ford, writing in the company’s latest Sustainability Report. “We are pleased CDP is recognising Ford as a sustainability and water conservation leader, reflected in the top grade we have received for our work on water issues.”
Ford set its first targets for reducing water impacts in 2000 as part of its Global Water Management Initiative, according to the company’s 2015/16 Sustainability Report. In 2013 – two years ahead of schedule – Ford met its global goal to reduce water use per vehicle produced by 30 per cent compared to 2009.
Ford set a new goal to reduce water use by 2 per cent in 2015 and this target was exceeded with a further reduction of 5 per cent.
South Africans are becoming far more aware of the need to save water, which is an increasingly scarce resource in the world and right here in South Africa, with the Western Cape living on a knife-edge in terms of supply following devastating droughts.
Closer to home, FMCSA has invested more than $21-million in a Wastewater Treatment Plant at its Silverton facility. The plant uses the latest technology to recycle water used in the manufacturing processes and the amount of water recycled continues to increase.
Currently the system allows for the purification of water for industrial use only, but future projects, such as those that have been implemented at other Ford facilities around the globe, could allow for the use of recycled water for day-to-day human usage. This would see the use of recycled water increase to about 50%.
