Ford cuts water use by 61% since 2000

20th June 2014 By: Natasha Odendaal - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Ford cuts water use by 61% since 2000

Ford Motor Company on Friday said it had successfully reached its water-use-per-vehicle reduction targets two years ahead of schedule as it reported cutting its global water use by 30% from a 2009 baseline and by 61%, or nearly 40-million litres, between 2000 and 2013.

The total amount of water used around the globe at Ford facilities declined from 64-million cubic metres a year in 2000 to 25-million cubic meters a year by 2013 – saving an equivalent of one-billion five-minute-long showers, the company said in a statement.

Ford aimed to “aggressively step up” water conservation programmes at its global facilities, with ambitions of cutting water use by 2% this year, and would start working with high-water-use suppliers and those working in water-stressed regions to achieve their own water reductions and voluntarily report water consumption.

“The hope is that successful initiatives will be mirrored by other suppliers globally, helping Ford to significantly reduce its environmental footprint,” said Ford president and CEO Alan Mulally, who, in April, endorsed the CEO Water Mandate requiring participating companies to report their water management progress every year.

Ford started strategically working to improve its water impact globally in 2000 by setting year-over-year reduction targets as part of its Global Water Management Initiative.

“As Ford continues with its largest global expansion in more than 50 years, the company also recognises that working in regions struggling with water scarcity will soon make water a costly commodity," said Ford executive VP for global manufacturing and labour affairs John Fleming.