Vehicle manufacturer Ford has reduced its total global annual water use by 62% since 2000 – down from 64 million cubic meters to 24 million cubic meters.

Ford said the reduction was due in large part to implementation of new methods for monitoring and managing how water is used at each facility. The firm reduced the average amount of water used to make each vehicle by 8.5 percent between 2011 and 2012 – putting the company more than halfway toward its current goal of using an average of just 4 cubic meters per vehicle globally by 2015.

In late 2011, Ford announced its global water use reduction strategy would decrease the average amount of water used to make each vehicle by 30 percent between 2009 and 2015; water use already has been cut by 25 percent per vehicle since 2009

Andy Hobbs, director, Environmental Quality Office at Ford, said the water reduction success is a result of the company’s commitment to reduce the amount of water it uses by aggressively monitoring and managing every drop of water going into and out of its facilities and properties.

Ford voluntarily launched its Global Water Management Initiative in 2000, putting in place ways to manage water conservation, quality and reuse of storm and process water.

Robert Brown, vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering commented:

“Ford recognizes the critical importance of water, and is committed to conserving water and using it responsibly.

“Many vehicle manufacturing processes require water and the resource is used at every point in our supply chain.”

Ford aims to use an average of 1,056 gallons of water to make each vehicle globally –consistent with its overall goal of a 30 percent reduction in the amount of water used per vehicle between 2009 and 2015.

During 2012 the Ford Fund supported 19 different water-related projects in China, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, India, Germany and South Africa.

Ford’s biggest water-related projects were within its own facilities and included:

• Cologne Engine Plant (Germany): Decreased water use by 50 percent per engine through implementation of a dry-machining process
• Silverton Assembly Plant (South Africa): Began using a $2.5 million on-site wastewater treatment plant increasing the amount of water that can be reused by up to 15 percent
• Chennai Assembly Plant (India): Installed a new system that began operating in September and allows the plant to recycle 100 percent of its water
• Chongqing Assembly 1 and Chongqing Assembly 2 (China): Both plants added advanced water treatment equipment to improve recycling. CAF1 recycles an average 100,000 gallons daily, and CAF2 an average 65,000 gallons
• Louisville Assembly Plant (U.S.): Recently replaced parking lot asphalt with pervious paving blocks to manage stormwater runoff, helping protect nearby bodies of freshwater

Ford’s overall approach to water use emphasizes a number of key goals, including:

• Minimizing water use and consumption at Ford facilities
• Finding ways to use alternative, lower-quality water sources
• Prioritizing water technology investments based on local water scarcity and cost effectiveness
• Meeting either local quality standards or Ford global standards for wastewater discharge – whichever is more stringent at each Ford location
• Ensuring a stable water supply for Ford manufacturing facilities while working with local communities to minimize impact

Click here for more information about Ford’s water use-related efforts.