Ford Research & Engineering Center Goes Landfill-Free

Ford Motor Company’s Research & Engineering Center is now landfill free, helping the automaker achieve its goal to trim global waste-to-landfill by 40 percent per vehicle produced from 2011 to 2016.

The R&E Center sits on 720 acres in Dearborn, Michigan near Ford World Headquarters. With more than 12,000 employees working out of 34 buildings including research labs, design studios, and a major data center, the campus is much like a small city. Paring waste streams will allow Ford to be more efficient while helping to improve the environment.

“Our global waste strategy commits Ford to reducing waste-to-landfill, and we have made great progress at our manufacturing plants,” said Andy Hobbs, Ford Motor Company director, Environmental Quality Office. “We are now extending this effort to our office and research facilities, and are proud to recognize the Research & Engineering Center for sending zero waste-to-landfill.”

Highlights include:

• The nearly three-year effort to achieve landfill-free status started by identifying various waste streams and categorizing them from smallest to largest. Waste managers and environmental engineers then worked to find creative solutions to avoid using landfills while not incurring additional cost to manage the waste. The move also included recycling training for campus employees
• The Research & Engineering Center houses test operations – including a test track, wind tunnels, crash sleds and dynamometers
• The campus now diverts 230,000 pounds of waste from landfills annually
• Ford has reduced the amount of global waste sent to landfills by 50 percent per vehicle over the last five years
• Thirty Ford facilities no longer send any waste to landfills; this includes all Canadian and Mexican manufacturing plants
• Ford is committed to improving its environmental impact. The company is working to shrink greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing facilities by 30 percent per vehicle between 2010 and 2025. Ford eased global water use by 30 percent per vehicle from a 2009 baseline – reaching its goal two years ahead of schedule. Since 2011, Ford has been working to trim energy consumption by 25 percent by 2016
• Ford holds the No. 1 rank on Interbrand’s 2014 list of the 50 Best Global Green Brands. Ford claimed the top spot for its forward-thinking approach to environmentally responsible and sustainable manufacturing, and for greater transparency in its business operations and disclosure of information – particularly involving manufacturing