Water

At Ford, we have focused on reducing our water impacts since 2000 when we first began setting year-over-year reduction targets as part of our Global Water Management Initiative. Our efforts around water have evolved over the years; we have moved beyond merely reducing the water footprint of our own facilities to working more holistically outside our corporate walls, addressing water concerns in our supply chain and our broader communities.

We are conducting water assessments to help us gain a better understanding of our internal water usage. As of early 2014, we have conducted assessments at 12 global sites including Changan Assembly 2 in China and AutoAlliance in Thailand, and continue to add new plants for assessment each year. We are in the process of evaluating the results to determine what measures can feasibly be taken to reduce water and save our company money at the same time.

Ford has successfully implemented many water-saving initiatives across our plants to shrink our water footprint. For example, we have implemented a membrane biological reactor and reverse-osmosis process to recycle water from our on-site wastewater treatment plants in a number of our global production facilities that are located in more arid regions. This allows us to avoid using high-quality water suitable for human consumption in our manufacturing processes. By doing so at plants in Chihuahua and Hermosillo, Mexico; Pretoria, South Africa; Chennai, India; and Chongqing, China, we have been able to reuse more than 976,000 cubic meters of water, which means we have not had to withdraw that water from the environment.

In Pretoria, for example, our $2.5 million on-site wastewater treatment plant at the Silverton Assembly Plant is increasing the amount of water that can be reused by up to 15 percent. In the Chennai Assembly Plant we have been able to recycle 100 percent of our industrial waste water back into the process by using a three-stage reverse-osmosis technique and mechanical evaporation. And two assembly plants in Chongqing, China, added advanced water treatment equipment to improve recycling. One plant recycles an average of 100,000 gallons daily while the other recycles an average of 65,000 gallons daily.

We continue to replicate new technologies, including a process known as “dry-machining” that lubricates cutting tools with a fine spray of oil, rather than the conventional “wet-machining” that required large amounts of metal-working fluids and water to cool and lubricate the tools. For a typical production line, dry-machining – also known as Minimum Quantity Lubrication, or MQL– can save more than 280,000 gallons of water per year. We currently have the capability in six plants around the world including Changan Ford Engine Plant– and this number will nearly double in the next few years.

We’re also investing in water stewardship projects around the world, especially in areas where access to potable water is limited. As we expand into new markets in more water-stressed regions, we are increasing our engagement with local communities on water issues. In 2013, we increased our focus on water-related projects by funding a number of projects, including ones that provide clean drinking water facilities in disadvantaged parts of China and India. For example, in India we piloted an initiative to provide safe drinking water to the community around our upcoming manufacturing facility in Sanand Gujarat in partnership with Ahmedabad-based nongovernmental organization, Saath Charitable Trust. The first phase of the initiative will ensure safe drinking water for close to 1,500 children between the age of three to six years, covering 18 villages in Sanand with the aim to progressively expand to 70 villages.

Our Ford Motor Company Volunteer Corps, meanwhile, is placing a priority on water-based community projects during our Global Week of Caring and Accelerated Action Days. In 2013, the Ford Fund supported several water-related projects in Asia Pacific Africa, including in Australia, China, India, Malaysia, South Africa and Thailand. Projects ranged from cleaning up waterways and coastlines to providing new water pumps that will bring clean water to schools.

For a discussion of our global commitment to water issues, please see the Water section.