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| © CNET Ford has managed to cut its carbon emissions by 30 percent almost twice as fast as it anticipated thanks to the widespread use of solar panels and LED lighting. |
By Kyle Hyatt, Roadshow
Way back in 2010, Ford declared that it would reduce its carbon emissions by 30 percent over the following 15 years. Incredibly, it's managed to do just that in almost half the time, Automotive News reports. Color us impressed.
Ford's strategy to get carbon emissions down included making a number of changes at its factories, such as switching over to more efficient LED lighting, putting solar panels on the roofs of many of its facilities and eliminating drying ovens from its painting processes. This particular target covered only the production of its cars, not the emissions they generate over their lifetimes.
"We thought that was aggressive and we didn't really know how we were going to achieve it," said Andy Hobbs, global director of Ford's environmental quality office, in an interview with AN. "It was an aspirational goal."
Ford has been trying to green up its car production business in other ways too, such as using a number of renewable resources in its vehicles. These currently include tree cellulose, soy, rice, wheat, jute, coconut and kenaf (a member of the hibiscus family that produces a tough, jute-like fiber).
Ford wants to expand the number of renewable materials at its disposal and further reduce its carbon emissions -- as well as its vehicles' emissions -- in line with the Paris climate accord, despite President Trump's stance on the matter.
Good on ya, Ford.
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