Green Cars, Yes. But Green Car Companies?
By Kate McClaskey
We’ve all heard about the wave of more environmentally friendly automobiles that have been built in the past few years. Hybrids, electric cars, cars that run on bio diesel and ethanol, cars that run on hydrogen, the list goes on. Auto manufacturers across the globe have begun designing these in response to the exploding worldwide concern for the environment. But beyond creating products that are green, car companies are manufacturing them in green ways too, even in this tough economic time.
According to a study conducted by Gartner Research [PDF] in 2009, “sustainability will be a strategic theme beyond the recession.” Automobile companies are proof of this. Even as the recession crippled markets and companies alike, consumers began to demand better and more eco friendly cars. So the automobile companies stepped up to the plate and started investing even more money into making them. This means that they will “increasingly be justified to meet stakeholder expectations, to build trust and compliance, and to manage risk related to the business’s reputation” when it comes to sustainable cars.
Federal Influence Bolsters Green Auto Production
Two years ago, when the automobile industry was being bailed out by the US government, a portion of what Detroit was asking for was money to help make their companies more green to meet the new environmental standards. So when the Department of Energy loaned $25 billion to the auto manufacturers, it did it with the stipulation that the companies would use it to create factories that would produce vehicles that would meet the new emissions and fuel economy standards.
Luckily for us and the planet, this has translated into not only eco-friendly cars, but the creation of eco-friendly factories and plants to build them in. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, automobile technology is changing rapidly – and more rapidly than it has in a long time – due to environmental concerns and regulations.
And all the major car companies are on board. Both BMW and Lexus have recently received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council. This means that the buildings that housed or produced their cars were built in an environmental and sustainable way, from reduced water usage to using recycled and locally sourced materials. One BMW distribution center successfully used methane gas from a coal landfill to serve 60 percent of the plant’s energy needs. One Lexus dealership on the other hand created a preferred parking program that rewarded employees who car pool or use alternative fuel or hybrid cars to work.
And why is this important? Because ten percent of a car’s lifetime environmental impact comes from its building. And consumers are taking notice.
Cutting Costs through More Sustainable Manufacturing
In Ford’s 2010 Blueprint to Sustainability, the company has reduced their total facilities-related carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 50 percent and well as reduced facilities-related carbon dioxide emissions per vehicle by 27 percent. Determined to perform better, Ford saved $15 million by improving energy efficiency in their 2009 operations. Their target is to improve their facility energy efficiency by 3 percent in North America this year. The car company has also created a system that shuts off all desktop and notebook computers at night, with an expected savings of $1.2 million in annual energy costs.
Wind turbines, low mercury lighting, drought tolerant landscaping, reusing packaging, even recycling flawed parts all are part of what different automobile manufacturers have been creating in the past few years to decrease overall cost and increase sales. Never before has there been such an influx of environmentally conscious construction.
A brand new Volkswagen plant that is currently under construction in Chattanooga, Tennessee is one of the best examples of this. For every tree displaced by construction they are replanting a sapling. Things like automated machinery, smart ventilation systems, and improved air circulators will save the plant an annual energy use of 1,880 households. Storm water will be collected to be used in restrooms, saving 359,999 gallons of fresh water. The plant’s insulation in the walls is 100 percent recyclable. All in all, it’s what companies are striving to become.
About 27 million cars are disposed of every year. And according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, more than 95 percent of all those vehicles are processed for recycling and then about 80 percent of that is recycled. Auto recyclers supply about one third of scrap metal to manufacturers, which when used instead of ore, can reduce air and water pollution by more than 50 percent. In 2007, Ford became one of the first automakers to be recognized for car recycling requirements. And it’s only time before other car companies follow suit.
It’s unfortunate that it took the near collapse of the economy and the US auto industry for car manufacturers to really get on the band wagon when it comes to creating a product that is more eco friendly, and producing it in a way that is eco friendly. They are finally realizing that going green means saving money. Which means it’s around to stay.