Governance

To Ford, governance includes more than simply fiduciary responsibility to shareholders; the concept also encompasses accountabilities regarding our impact on the world and responsibilities toward a diverse set of stakeholders.

Our sound governance and management systems enable us to operate in a transparent and accountable way and to provide effective oversight of all our operations. Our high ethical standards – formalized in Company policies and demonstrated by managers at all levels – help us translate our aspirations into action. And, importantly, our sustainability-related structures, processes and management systems are integrated into our core business processes.

In 2012, we strengthened our governance systems by enhancing our anti-corruption program. Specially, we increased our global training on bribery, and we began to work more closely with some of our joint ventures – which we do not directly control – to be sure they have appropriate compliance programs in place. We also strengthened the anti-bribery/anti-corruption portions of our Global Terms and Conditions – i.e., our contracts with suppliers – to help ensure that they are doing business ethically.

In 2012 and early 2013, Ford received a number of awards and recognitions for our corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts and governance practices, as noted below.

Awards and Recognitions

In 2013, Ford was honored by the Ethisphere Institute – for the fourth year in a row – as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. Using in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries.

Also in 2013, Ford was again named by Corporate Responsibility Magazine as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens in the U.S. This listing ranks companies in seven separate categories – the environment, climate change, human rights, employee relations, corporate governance, philanthropy and financial performance – and then produces an overall weighted average score. Ford ranked 83rd overall, and was listed 15th in the environment category and 25th in human rights.

Ford’s additional 2013 recognitions included listing on Maclean’s Sustainalytics inventory of the 50 Most Socially Responsible Corporations in Canada, as well as on the FTSE4Good Index Series. The FTSE4Good Index Series includes companies meeting stringent environmental, social and governance criteria.

In 2012, Ford received a Climate Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for “Excellence in GHG Management – Goal-Setting Certificate.” The award recognizes companies that have set aggressive, public greenhouse gas reduction goals and are working to achieve them, in addition to other criteria.

In 2012, for the fourth year in a row, Ford was listed among Newsweek magazine’s “Green Rankings.” This list rates companies globally as well as America’s 500 largest companies on environmental impact, environmental policies and performance, and reputation among CEOs, social responsibility professionals, academics and other environmental experts. On the U.S. list, Ford ranked 50th overall and 1st in the vehicles and components sector; on the global list, we ranked 107th overall and 5th in the vehicles and components sector.

In 2012, Ford ranked number 15 on Interbrand’s list of Best Global Green Brands. The rankings are determined via an analysis of 82 submetrics across six pillars: governance, stakeholder engagement, operations, supply chain, transportation and logistics, products and services.

Also in 2012, Ford was one of two companies honored for “Outstanding Achievement in Low Carbon Transport over the last 10 years” by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (Low CVP) in the U.K. In announcing the award, Low CVP managing director Andy Eastlake said: “The carbon credentials and success of the latest Ford cars show just what can be achieved.”

Finally, Ford was also named one of Fast Company magazine’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies” in 2012, and was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America.

We also won several awards related to diversity in 2012 and 2013. And, our vehicles and engines won several “green” awards.