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Ford Motor Company

Products: Pickups; coupes; minivans/vans; SUV's; sedans; convertibles; wagons
Unique Programs:
Located in Aachen, Germany, Ford's research center works hard to minimize the environmental harm caused by motor vehicles. Current projects include developing alternative powertrains like fuel cells and electric vehicles, new materials and technologies such as ultralight-weight bodies, recycling-led product development to assure the recyclability of materials at the end of a vehicle's life cycle, and other projects.
In 2005, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid was introduced, increasing Ford’s total for hybrids to three models (also hybrid are the Ford Escape and Ford Focus). Hybrid models of the Fusion and Milan are scheduled to appear on the market in 2008.
They also have two hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (Ford P2000 and Ford Focus FCV) and two methanol fuel cell vehicles (Mazda Premacy and Ford Focus FC5).
Ford is globally committed to eliminating the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
Ford was the industry leader in presenting a long-term climate strategy. The company has taken steps toward the target of climate stabilization by considering climate stabilization in product planning processes.
The Windsor Engine Plant was built along ecological principles. All shipping containers and pallets are returned to suppliers for re-use, the coolant in the air-conditioning system is lithium bromide mixed with water instead of CFC's, and the plant was built on a brownfield site.
The Fumes-to-Fuel system (a partnership with Detroit Edison) takes harmful VOC-filled emissions from Ford’s painting process and concentrates it into a usable fuel. When fed to a Stirling Cycle Engine at the Michigan Truck Plant, this fuel generates around 50 kilowatts of electricity. It may also be used in fuel cells, but the Cycle Engine is more cost-effective at present. Byproducts include water vapor, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and heat (which has the potential to be an additional source of energy).
The River Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan was dramatically revitalized in 1999 by the company. On-site storage of vehicles was minimized such that 90% of the vehicles produced are shipped the same day. The world's largest green roof (about 500,000 square feet) was planted to improve the area watershed by holding several inches of rainfall. Other features include Phytoremediation (the use of natural plants to rid soil of contaminants), swales seeded with native vegetation to improve storm water management, porous paving, renewable energy sources such as solar cells and fuel cells, and more than 1,500 trees and thousands of other plantings to attract songbirds and create habitats.
The Piquette Project, led by the same team which led sustainability initiatives at the River Rouge plant is working on the development of a "sustainable mobility concept" involving the use of cradle-to-cradle materials, elimination of harmful emissions, and is open to the possibility of completely restructuring the way our transportation is designed, produced, and sold.
By the end of 1997, most Ford facilities globally had converted to a chromium-free pre-paint coating process.
Mercury-containing switches are being eliminated from Ford vehicles, as part of a voluntary commitment to the Michigan Mercury Pollution Prevention Task Force.
Ford is voluntarily removing PCB transformers from its facilities and offices, with the goal of eliminating all PCB transformers by the end of 2010.
The Bridgend Engine Plant in Wales has incorporated solar panels into the building, the first of this type in an automotive plant. The panels produce the power needed to light an area approximately 108,000 square feet.
The Ford Ikon, developed for the Indian market, emits 40% to 60% less pollution than legal limits, depending on the pollutant.
In Europe, they have pioneered (and now all automakers must provide) the use of Eco-Labels that affix information on a vehicle's fuel economy, safety, and emissions class to the window at the point of sale.
Ford maintains personnel policies supportive of gay rights.
In 2006, Ford began a carbon credit program, Greener Miles™ to make hybrid vehicle production carbon-neutral. Though a partnership between Ford and Terrapass, customers can calculate the carbon emissions that their vehicles will generate in one year of driving and offset the emissions by purchasing a yearly pass. The funds collected by Terrapass from pass sales are used to support projects which reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
1.5 million flexible fuel Ford vehicles are owned in North America. Ford plans to double its original production plan for these vehicles. To combat the limited ability of biofuels, Ford entered into a partnership with VeraSun Energy to create a "Midwest Ethanol Corridor" which would increase the number of fueling stations offering E85, a mix of bioethanol and gasoline. Ford is also working to promote an E85 infrastructure in Europe.
Ford has committed to LEED criteria in all future building plans.
Rather than using several gallons of metal-working fluid to lubricate machines in the Livonia Transmission Plant, Ford uses a small, precisely measured quantity of oil mist. Additionally, scraps of metal generated by the machines are sucked out by a vacuum and recycled. By using less materials and keeping the equipment free of debris, the useful life of the machines is prolonged.
Ford’s Michigan Truck Plant is experimenting with the use of paint waste in the interior of its vehicles as a noise pollution-reducing material.
Recently Ford’s Sharonville, Ohio plant began a recovery program for shot blast pellets used to smooth metal parts, as well as the dust created by the smoothing process. The plant is also working with its waste management contractor to reduce waste by at least five percent annually.
In England, the Dagenham Engine Plant removes oil and fluid from a flow of oily waste. The oil is recycled and the solids are formed into brickettes to be used by steel-makers. By avoiding landfill costs, this has saved the company $1.2 billion. The plant’s managers have also devised plans to use all of their remaining waste as an energy source for the plant. This would be accomplished by constructing a composting and gasification facility, generating 10.5 megawatts of energy and keeping 90,000 tons of waste out of landfills.
At an assembly plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, a Membrane Biological Reactor treats wastewater through ultra filtration and reverse osmosis. After treatment, the water is suitable for use in plant processes as well as irrigation of surrounding areas. Dependence on potable water is reduced by 40%. Because of this system, the plant has actually been able to double production and cut water use at the same time.

Useful terms to be familiar with:

Carbon-neutral driving— One mile’s worth of CO² emissions is reduced by the carbon reduction credit purchased for each mile driven by the car owner.
LEED criteria—(Leadership in Energy and Environmental design)- The criteria involves the areas of planning/design, materials, and construction and can also be applied to renovation of existing buildings.

Honda

Products: Honda and Acura automobiles; powersports; HondaJet; power equipment; boats; and engines
Unique Programs:
Maintained 90% level of design recyclability for all Honda and Acura automobiles sold in North America, and also maintained 95% level of design recyclability for all powersports products and power equipment sold in North America.
Introduced FCX Clarity next-generation Honda fuel cell car with three times the fuel efficiency of a gasoline-powered automobile, and announced plans to begin limited retail leasing in 2008.
The 2008 Civic GX was named "America's Greenest Car" by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
Honda has established an experimental Home Energy Station (HES) that generates hydrogen from natural gas for use in fuel cell vehicles while supplying electricity and hot water to the home. They have began operation of fourth-generation experimental hydrogen Home Energy Stations.
Honda's global fleet average of HC and NOx emissions was reduced 32% from 2001.
93% of key North American Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) suppliers and 85% of all North American OEM suppliers (up from 58% in 2007) were third-party certified to ISO 14001 standards.
13 of 14 Honda plants are certified to ISO 14001:2004 standards, covering a host of environmental areas, such as waste disposal, water treatment and energy use.
Maintained inventory of CO2 emissions from the consumption of purchased electricity and natural gas in all North American manufacturing plants.
Reduced waste to landfills 35% from 2007 levels and 79% from 2001 baseline (excluding mineral waste)
81% of automobiles were transported by train (more fuel-efficient than truck or ship). Utilized fleet of 400 Auto Max rail cars, reducing diesel fuel consumption by 531,048 gallons (5,493 metric tons CO2)
100% of domestically-produced motorcycles, ATVs, and personal watercraft were shipped in returnable crates.
Eliminated 1.45 million pounds of cardboard through redesign of parts packaging and consolidation of packaging operations.
Implemented new service support program for Honda motorcycle dealers, reducing the replacement and disposal of used motorcycle batteries by 41%.
Honda has added 32 new part numbers to their list of remanufactured components.
Three new U.S. facilities joined two existing buildings certified to LEED green building standards, including the first Version 2.2 Silver-certified data center in the United States. Three additional new facilities (two in the U.S. and one in Canada) are targeted to achieve LEED certification in 2009.
For more than 40 years, Honda has supported programs and projects that focus on maintaining a clean and healthy environment for communities throughout the country.

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