Lansing Delta Township (MI) Assembly facility, which is LEED Gold-certified, received an Energy Star label in 2011 and 2012.
in Davos, Switzerland, named water scarcity as one of the top four global risks. Automotive manufacturing, relative to many other products,
is not a particularly water-intensive business. Paint shops and casting plants are our heaviest users of water. Moreover, only a small percentage of our manufacturing facilities today are located in water-stressed areas. Nevertheless, we recognize the far- reaching economic, social and environmental implications that widespread water scarcity are likely to have in the future. For this reason, we have a strong record of responsible water management and have committed to reduce our water intensity by 15% from a 2010 baseline by 2020. During the past year, we maintained positive progress toward this goal with a 4% reduction. Another demonstration of our commitment to water management is through our participation in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Water Program which seeks to help businesses and institutional investors understand the risks and opportunities associated with water scarcity and other water-related issues, including greater demand for water, shrinking glaciers and changing precipitation patterns that are likely to result in drought and flooding. GM’s 2020 commitment reflects a strong water manage-
ment plan that has long been in place at our global manufac- turing facilities, which account for approximately 85% of our water use, as well as our nonmanufacturing sites worldwide. Water efficiency is integrated into our business plan with tar- gets and objectives. We localize our water management policy so that each of our four global regions contribute to corporate goals while aligning with local resources and regulations. Te plant director and site utility representatives are responsible for implementing the water management policy at the plant level.
Water conservation begins in the planning stages for
a new facility. We incorporate best practices for water minimization into building design, followed by continu- ous improvement once the facility becomes operational. Reuse from condensation and treated wastewater, as well as rainwater harvesting, are among the tactics we deploy to minimize water withdrawals. In Mexico, for example, GM’s San Luis Potosí plant is cleaning and reusing 90% of its wastewater in its plant operations. This significantly reduces the amount of groundwater used, saving roughly 264 gal (1000 L) of water per vehicle built. To date, we have identified eight GM facilities as being in water-stressed watersheds, as defined by the World Resources Institute Annual Renewable Water Supply per person methodology. In addition to this process, we also conduct local environ- mental assessments and watershed due diligence. In these locations, which include sites in Australia, China, Kenya, Mexico and South Africa, water withdrawal is the primary risk as we use best practices for wastewater treatment to eliminate discharge as a concern. Our plant in Zaragoza, Spain, is a good example of respon-
sible water discharge, which at this facility consists of treated and untreated water. Before returning water to the Jalon River, discharges are treated in a purification and water treatment plant that ensures the quality of the water returned is higher than that withdrawn.
This article is derived from General Motor Co.’s 2012 Sustainability Report. It is available for downloading online at
www.gmsustainability.com.
Motorized Vehicle Manufacturing 57
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212