Ford’s Louisville Plant Wins The 2021 Pollution Protection Award

It isn’t news that Ford’s efforts to help protect the environment through company-wide production and research efforts have been documented for years. But after recently revealing a new sustainable financing setup to fund future endeavors, the automaker released its very first integrated sustainability and financial report last year.

Back in 2020, the Ford Louisville Assembly Plant began implementing a pollution prevention project to reuse treated wastewater in the paint pretreatment process. The thinking was that this would reduce the volume of wastewater sent from the plant to the Publicly Owned Treatment Works wastewater treatment facility.

During the first year of implementation, the company’s Louisville Assembly Plant reduced more than 5 million gallons of city water use, which equates to over 22 gallons per vehicle and a cost savings of approximately $50,000. Reusing wastewater also helps bring Ford closer to the company’s aspiration to only use freshwater for human consumption, and builds on the more than 12.5 billion gallons of water saved to date through water conservation and recycling programs since 2000.

“Ford is proud to match our sustainability ambition with bold, transformative action that aims to help protect our communities as well as our planet,” said Bob Holycross, vice president, sustainability, environment and safety engineering. “Our environmental stewardship begins long before our vehicles leave the assembly line, and the innovative work being done at Louisville Assembly Plant is a perfect example of how our employees are helping make our sustainability aspirations a reality.”

In addition to saving water and money, this pollution prevention project also helps Ford inch closer toward its goal of using only freshwater fit for human consumption. In total, the automaker has saved over 2.5 billion gallons of water since 2020 through its recycling and water conservation programs. To learn more about Ford’s ongoing research into sustainability performance, keep reading our posts at Haldeman in Kutztown.