Society

Our operations affect a broad range of stakeholders. We believe that maintaining strong and open relationships with our employees, customers, suppliers, dealers, investors and society at large plays an important role in our ability to meet our goals.

Positive relationships with employees and business partners help us improve efficiencies, cost and quality, and develop and deliver new innovations. Effective two-way communication with our customers, dealers and other stakeholders helps us understand and deliver the products that customers want. Strong relationships with our suppliers enable us to work together to implement the environmental and human rights initiatives that are critical to a sustainable business.

Assessing Materiality

Our materiality analysis identified that our relationships with stakeholders are an important issue for both the Company and our stakeholders. Specifically, the analysis identified the issues of employee relationships, supplier relationships, dealer relationships, and diversity and inclusion as highly or moderately important. In addition, workplace health and safety was identified as an issue of high potential impact on Ford and of moderate concern to stakeholders. We also found the issues of community engagement, impacts and contributions to be of high concern to stakeholders – particularly, of course, to members of the communities most directly affected by the Company – and of moderate potential impact on Ford. All of these types of issues are addressed in this section.

The materiality analysis showed customers to be most concerned with issues related to the competitiveness of our products, including fuel economy, quality, safety and tailpipe emissions. They were also concerned about clean vehicle and fuel technologies. These issues are addressed in the Climate Change, Environment and Economy sections of this report.