Ford Motor Co. has pledged that by 2016, it will reduce the energy consumption in its plants by 25% more. Ford claims that since 2006, it has cut its consumption by about a fifth. According to Ford’s annual sustainability report, the automaker used 2,778 kilowatt hours to build every vehicle in its plants worldwide last year, a 22% decline from 3,576 kwh in 2006. John Viera, Ford’s global director of sustainability, said that Ford uses more energy-efficient tools and production methods. However, a portion of the gain is taken from the widened use of factory capacity as sales recovered. In the interview, Viera said that its plants are operating at a higher capacity. He said that this will certainly be a factor.
CEO Alan Mulally's turnaround plan looks at environmental efficiency as a cornerstone of its success. In a letter in this report written by Executive Chairman Bill Ford, the company made its lineup broader with small cars like the Fiesta subcompact. Hence, the fuel-efficiency of its U.S. vehicles improved by nearly 17% since 2006. The carbon dioxide emissions from the plants had fallen by 48%, from 2000 to 2010.
Bill Ford said that Ford is a “different company than we were a few years ago.” He was referring to the brand that developed cars for markets around the world instead of in regional ones. He said that this helps keep the company on target to achieve its goal of cutting carbon dioxide emissions from its vehicles in each region so that they can resolve the climate-change issue. Viera said that it’s not certain if sales are climbing because of Ford’s environmental efforts but it’s clear that it improves the automaker’s image.
