By Gemma Childe on 2nd Feb 2012
Ford has announced plans to cut water use at its European plants by 30 per cent over the next five years, and to send 70 per cent less waste to landfill.
The car maker has set the targets as part of its New Green Manufacturing Plan, which has already cut water use and landfill waste at its European plants by around 40 per cent since 2007.
The plan will see Ford’s UK plants in Dagenham, Southampton and Bridgend recycle or re-use almost all their waste – a target already achieved at the company’s German factories in Saarlouis and Cologne.
In all, it is estimated that Ford will prevent 5.5billion tonnes of waste from being dumped in landfill sites and save 1.3billion litres of water – the equivalent of 1,100 litres for every car or van it manufactures.
The plan makes financial as well as environmental sense: it is expected to save Ford £1.9million over the five-year period.
"This plan represents our pledge to minimise Ford’s impact on the environment both before and after our customers get behind the wheel," said Stephen Odell, the chairman and chief executive of Ford in Europe.
"This goes hand in hand with our commitment to develop the most fuel-efficient vehicles. Sustainability makes just as much sense for Ford as a business as it does for the environment."