All of Ford of Europe’s manufacturing plants have managed to reduce the amount of waste destined for landfill sites from an annual 6,000 tonnes to zero in five years. In its recently published Sustainability Report the innovative measures employed to achieve zero waste mentioned include the briquetting of grinding sludge from the Dagenham engine plant, so that the oil can be re-used in the production process, and at the Valencia plant in Spain, generating alternative fuel from waste that could not be recycled.

“We have introduced a range of measures that have not only significantly reduced our reliance on landfill for our manufacturing plants, but removed it entirely. This achievement is a fantastic base to push on from and further improve in areas such as water and electricity usage reductions as Ford of Europe drives towards the company’s global sustainability ambitions,” said Andreas Reiss, manager, Environmental Quality Office Europe, Ford of Europe.

Ford has stated its commitment to running a responsible business that treats the planet with respect, and cites its 2015 roll out of a new Energy Management Operating System within the Ford Production System, as an example of how to manage demand and remotely control plant energy and heating systems for greater energy efficiency. This is part of an energy strategy that has resulted in a 25 per cent reduction in energy use compared with 2011, equivalent to an annual saving of 800 gigawatt hours. Between 2013 and 2015 Ford also has reduced its global water usage per vehicle produced to 3.81 cubic metres from 4.04 cubic metres and decreased CO2 emissions per vehicle produced from 0.78 cubic tonnes to 0.72 metric tonnes.

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