Sustainability Report 2013/14

In 1914, Henry Ford more than doubled his workers’ wages to $5 per day and shortened the work day from nine to eight hours. These actions, which many other manufacturers ultimately followed, improved working conditions and helped build the American middle class. Ford Motor Company continues to be a pioneer on social issues. We were the first automaker to implement a code of working conditions to support human rights in our own and our suppliers’ operations. We are now focused on responsible sourcing of raw materials, including conflict minerals, in our supply chain.

Read more: Supply Chain

In 1954, Ford performed its first vehicle crash test, well before these tests were required by law. In 2014, we performed our 20,000^th crash test. Today, as back then, we work to make advanced safety technologies attainable for all our customers, by offering many of our advanced safety features as standard equipment on a wide array of vehicles, not just our luxury models.

Read more: Vehicle Safety

In the early 1900s, Ford formalized efforts to cultivate a tolerant workplace and to actively hire and adapt our workplace for disabled individuals. Today, we emphasize diversity and inclusion as part of our One Ford behaviors and regularly exceed our goal of sourcing at least 10 percent of U.S. supply chain purchases from minority- and women-owned businesses, winning third-party recognition for our efforts.

Read more: People

Even a century ago, our company was thinking globally. We sold our first Model Ts in China in 1913. Today, we have 65 plants worldwide and distribution across six continents. Our globalized platforms – and vehicles such as the Ford Fiesta, Focus, C‑MAX, Escape/Kuga and Fusion – have created a clear and consistent identity for Ford in the world marketplace, while reducing our costs and improving manufacturing efficiency.

Read more: Financial Health

In the 1990s, the local lake supplying water to the community of Hermosillo, Mexico, and to Ford’s manufacturing facility there dried up, after a prolonged drought in the already water-stressed region. Ford responded by reducing our use of municipal water by 40 percent. We later added cutting-edge water conservation technologies, such as biological membrane reactors, to remain “water neutral” even while increasing production by 60 percent. We are now delivering the technologies and lessons learned from Hermosillo to other operations globally.

Read more: Water

After World War II, Henry Ford II hired 10 young former Air Force officers who had gained fame for the management systems they created to aid the decision making of top generals. Dubbed the “Whiz Kids,” the team developed an integrated financial and corporate management system that revolutionized Ford’s approach to business organization. Today, Ford has continued to advance effective management practices by integrating sustainability goals and governance issues into our overall business management systems.

Read more: Our Blueprint for Sustainability

Henry Ford believed in a partnership between industry and agriculture, each using the products of the other. He invented uses for agricultural materials, including soybean oil in plastic body panels and wheat-straw-reinforced steering wheels. We are continuing this thinking today. For example, in the armrest of the 2014 Lincoln MKX, Ford introduced the first-ever automotive application of a new, cellulose-reinforced plastic, which replaces fiberglass reinforcement with fibers from sustainably produced trees.

Read more: Climate Change and the Environment