Ford will later this year begin asking high water-use suppliers and those working in water-stressed regions to voluntarily report water consumption.
The automaker says it will then work with the suppliers to achieve reductions in an effort to reduce its overall environmental footprint.
Ford’s latest water initiative comes as the company releases its 2013-14 sustainability report, which says Ford reduced per vehicle water use by 30 percent globally from a 2009 baseline, reaching its goal two years ahead of schedule. Plans are under way to further cut water use by another 2 percent this year and to set new long-term goals, the company says.
In April, Ford president and CEO Alan Mulally endorsed the CEO Water Mandate, a private-public initiative launched by the UN Secretary General in 2007 that requires participating companies to report their water management progress annually.
As an example of its success with water conservation, Ford points to its Cuautitlán Stamping and Assembly Plant in Cuautitlán, Mexico, a water-scarce region.
Changes implemented by Ford at the facility include:
- Installing dedicated piping for potable water to ensure it is used only for human consumption.
- Recycling all other water used at the plant.
- Replacing asphalt with ecological concrete, which allows rain to reenter the ground.
The result: An almost 58 percent reduction in water use per vehicle produced at Cuautitlán Stamping and Assembly Plant between 2000 and 2013, Ford says.