Ford has been recognised as the automotive industry leader for environmental performance in the 2022 rankings of America’s Most JUST Companies.
Rankings organiser JUST Capital said Ford is the second automobile and parts company to have a verified 1.5°C science-based target. The company also uses the highest percentage of renewable energy (10 per cent of its total electricity use) within the industry, and it has expanded investment in electric vehicles and recycles 90 per cent of the waste it generates.
“At Ford, our goal is to create a positive impact on people and the planet because the future of this company centres on a purpose bigger than building vehicles,” said Mary Wroten, Director Of Global Sustainability and ESG at Ford Motor Company. “That’s why we’re investing more than US$50 billion ($62.5 billion) in electric vehicles by 2026 and accelerating our progress to carbon neutrality no later than 2050. We’re focused on lowering our carbon footprint, investing in renewable energy, and pushing the boundaries of innovation and technologies needed for the future.”
Ford said its environmental aspirational goals also include attaining zero air emissions from its vehicles and facilities using 100 per cent local, renewable and zero carbon electricity in all manufacturing plants globally by 2035, and reaching true zero waste to landfill across its operations. Additionally, the company plans to eliminate single-use plastics from its operations by 2030 by using only recycled and renewable content in vehicle plastics and making “zero water withdrawals” for manufacturing processes, with freshwater used only for human consumption.
“The risks and opportunities associated with the changing climate are shaping the way we do business, from offering electrified versions of our popular models by investing more than US$11.5 billion ($15.3 billion) by 2022, to a global carbon reduction strategy focused on powering our facilities with 100 per cent local, renewable and zero carbon energy,” the company said.
“Ford is continuously rethinking the way we use energy at our manufacturing facilities and other sites to help address climate change. We’re creating high-performing, high-quality vehicles in environmentally and socially responsible ways, and reducing the effects of our operations and supply chains through world-class facilities.
“By using renewable and recycled materials in our vehicles, we’re reducing waste, using fewer natural resources and improving vehicle quality and performance.”
The company said it is reimagining what mobility will look like, foreseeing clean, smart vehicles communicating with each other and road infrastructure, in addition to public transit systems orchestrated by open cloud-based platforms like its Transportation Mobility Cloud.
“To help build a better world, we are doing our part to help meet the collective challenges the world faces across a range of sustainability issues and developing strategies to address them,” Ford said. “We aim to earn trust, drive progress, and make positive impacts.
“We have also shared Ford facilities’ best practices in reducing our environmental footprint with key suppliers through our Partnership for A Cleaner Environment (PACE) programme.”
Beginning last year, Ford communicated updated supplier environmental requirements via its new Supply Chain Code of Conduct, including the requirement to establish science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets and report Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions upon request.