How Ford is Reducing its Environmental Impact

How Ford Is Reducing Its Footprint

The Ford Motor Company has done its best to reduce its environmental footprint. Sustainable manufacturing, electric vehicle innovations, and the conservation of resources have been core values for this giant automobile manufacturer. With an automobile industry increasingly seeking to go greener, Ford committed to carbon emission reductions, energy efficiency, and the principles of the circular economy.

Carbon Neutrality Commitment
Ford has made a commitment to making all of its operations around the world carbon-neutral by 2050. It is trying to reduce the emissions along its entire value chain-from its manufacturing operations and supply chains through to vehicle usage. Electric vehicles can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to those produced by an internal combustion engine.

Ford will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in all global operations to 76% by 2035. Science-based and a firm step toward complying with climate change through renewable energy, more efficiency in energy consumption, and reliance on fossil fuels in all manufacturing facilities, the company shall scale up the production of electric vehicles.
Scale up production of electric vehicles.
Ford was investing into electric car technology. The company said it will have more than $50 billion to be invested by 2026 on car development and other projects focused on building its ability to mass produce and speeding the shift away from gasoline engines.

Models like the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, and the E-Transit van show that Ford is really taking the idea of electrification seriously. A Mustang Mach-E, for instance, which is a very performance-based vehicle, would be expected to have low tailpipe emissions if it is electric. Thirdly, Ford has pledged to source its EV batteries responsibly by ensuring responsible mining practices and an increased use of recycled materials.

Ford also expects that, by 2030, at least 50% of the global vehicle sales will be electric vehicles, supporting its long-term carbon reduction targets.

Sustainable Manufacturing Practices
Ford has initiated greener operations in its manufacturing plants in order to reduce the impact that the company makes on the environment. The company agreed to acquire 100 percent of the community-generated renewable energy for the manufacturing plants by the end of 2035. Some of the manufacturing plants making up the company already use wind, solar, and hydroelectric sources of power; therefore, the company uses less non-renewable sources of energy.

Another factor is that energy-efficient processes and other programs in LED lighting, heat recovery, and smart manufacturing technologies will consume fewer resources. The company decreases the usage of water and also waste created by the production of its automobiles inside the manufacturing plants.

Use of recycled as well as Sustainable Material
Ford has been implementing recycled and sustainable materials aggressively in vehicle designs. It replaced traditional plastics with bio-based and recycled alternatives. It reduced its dependence on

petroleum-based materials. A few examples of sustainable material innovations at Ford are: 

Recycled ocean plastics: They are used in vehicle parts such as wiring harness clips to minimise plastic waste.

Soy-based foam: This is utilized in seat cushioning and reduces dependence on petroleum-based foam.

Hemp and Bamboo Composites: A light in weight yet sturdy car part under scanner .
Ford adopts the use of such a sustainable material comprising hemp and bamboo to reduce the company's environmental footprint without compromising its strength or performance.
 
Waste reduction and Circular Economy Initiatives
Ford is recycling and practicing more of the circular economy for its products in a bid to reduce more waste. The company increases the recyclability of the products it will make by making car parts designed to be recoverable at the end of product life.

Another improvement is on waste percentage of its manufacturing by applying closed-loop recycling systems. For example, the firm recycles and reclaims aluminum scrap produced from the production of F-Series trucks. This ensures that the raw material consumption is reduced.

Effort on water
Environmental practices that conserve water, which focus on the usage and preservation of water, comprise all lines of water-recycling production lines as well as incorporate cooling processes in the production operation; some of the water-conserving technologies observed in Ford are just listed above.
Freshwater usage is to be eliminated in manufactured products by water-scarce regions by 2035
All the conserved water through large-scale conservation efforts make a big difference if tallied out both qualitatively and numerically.

Responsible Logistics and Supply Chain
Ford is taking its supply chain green in collaboration with those suppliers who carry on sustainability practices. Ford has come up with requirements for its suppliers to collaborate in sustainability, efficient processes, waste removal, and less emission.

Ford is also shifting the transportation of vehicles to more efficient, lower-carbon modes such as rail and electrical delivery trucks. Ford continues by further reducing its footprint due to increased efficiency in logistical operations.

Renewable Energy Invest
It is putting much into the renewable energy programmes to help diminish the carbon content in efforts for its company. So far, the company has installed solar panels in several manufacturing sites and has sought to use more renewable sources of energy across all its activities.

In Michigan, Ford is building BlueOval City: a mass production site running on renewable energy. It will manufacture the next generation of electric trucks and other new battery technologies with much lower environmental footprints.

The Road Ahead
At the core of Ford's long-term commitment is sustainability, and the company is also adding its share to the good change in the automotive industry through strategic moves based on electrification, sustainable materials, and responsible manufacturing.

As Ford continues innovations in green technology, such moves will correctly position it within the markets, set proper precedents for other automakers to follow, and maintain its focus on sustainability with direction towards a cleaner and more efficient transportation future to meet a growing demand for environmentally friendly vehicles.

Sources: Ford Sustainability Reports