This is the ninth formal nonfinancial report of Ford Motor Company. Our vision for our sustainability reporting is that it is the basis of organizational learning. It demonstrates our values, and both reflects and drives outstanding economic, environmental and social performance.
In all of our reports, we have tried to focus on Ford's most important sustainability issues and those of most interest to report users and our stakeholders. We have formalized this approach through a structured materiality analysis, which has been used to identify our most material sustainability issues. The issues that rated highest in potential impact on the Company and concern to stakeholders are covered in a 48-page print report and in the Material Issues section of this Web report.
All of the print report content, plus comprehensive information on a range of other significant issues, is included in this full Web report. In previous sustainability reports, we organized our data and indicators around Ford's Business Principles. This year – although most of the indicators themselves are the same as in years past – they have been organized into the broader categories of Economy, Environment and Society. This shift represents an internal evolution in our approach to sustainability. It also aligns the report more clearly with the Global Reporting Initiative's guidelines.
Draft and near-final versions of the print report were reviewed by a Ceres stakeholder committee that included representatives of environmental NGOs and socially responsible investors.
We see reporting as an ongoing, evolving process, not an annual exercise. Our sustainability reports are supplemented by communications tailored to different audiences. These include an internal sustainability Web site used by Ford's Sustainability Learning Community, as well as additional publications such as our stand-alone climate change report. In mid-2008, we will publish a brochure for employees and other interested stakeholders that summarizes key content from this sustainability report.
We expect our reporting to evolve further and invite your feedback on this report, and our approach to reporting, at sustaina@ford.com.
In this section
This section of our Web report includes our Chairman's and our CEO's perspectives on sustainability at Ford, a summary of 2007 performance data, our perspective on assurance and a description of the Ceres stakeholder committee.
The Fine Print
This report covers the year 2007 and early 2008. The data are primarily for 2007 (for operations) and for the 2007 and 2008 model years (for vehicles). The data cover all of Ford Motor Company's wholly and majority-owned operations globally, unless otherwise noted. Changes in the basis for reporting or reclassifications of data previously reported are noted below and in the detailed data charts of our Web report.
This report is aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative's G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, released in October 2006, at a self-declared application level of "A". See the GRI Index for a complete index of GRI indicators.
More information on the GRI and the application levels can be found at the GRI Web site.