Page 265 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

Transportation Industries 241

reducing fuel consumption and emissions, this reduces strain
on the urban parking infrastructure, saving businesses, gov-
ernments, and universities money.
• In 2007, Volvo achieved the first carbon-neutral automotive
plant in the world in Ghent, Belgium, collaborating with the
electric utility Electrabel. The plant uses hydroelectric electric-
ity from the grid, a wood-burning heater to meet basic needs,
an oil-based bio-heater for extra needs in winter and summer,
three windmills, and 150 photovoltaic panels. These energy
sources not only meet the operating requirements for electric-
ity and heating, but also enable the sale of spare electricity to
local customers.
• Researchers at Ford Motor have developed flexible, poly-
urethane foams that contain soy oil, replacing traditional,
petroleum-derived polyols. Since 2007 Ford has introduced
soy foam on the seat backs and cushions of the Mustang,
Focus, Escape, F-150, Expedition, Navigator, and Mariner,
reducing CO emissions by about 5.3 million pounds per year
2
(see Figure 8.4). Ongoing research on sustainable materials
includes natural fiber-reinforced plastics to replace glass fiber
and polymer resins made from high sugar content plants.
This chapter highlights the DFE programs of two leading compa-
nies in the automotive industry, General Motors and Toyota, as well
as an innovative DuPont technology for automo-
tive paint. General Motors and other U.S. auto-
ENVIRONMENTAL
makers have struggled to remain competitive in
RESPONSIBILITY
the face of burdensome retiree benefit programs,
declining profits as sales of larger vehicles plum- IS NOT ENOUGH—
meted, and a recessionary business environment. COMPANIES MUST ALSO
LEARN TO BE RESILIENT.
Toyota and other Japanese competitors, however,
are much better positioned in terms of cost struc-
ture, vehicle design, and propulsion technologies. This illustrates that
environmental responsibility is not enough—companies must also
learn to be resilient in the face of the turbulent changes that are
sweeping the transportation industries. Enterprise resilience is dis-
cussed in Chapter 20.

General Motors: Product and Process Innovation

A Roadmap for Sustainability
General Motors (GM), founded in 1908, is one of the world’s largest
automakers, employing about 250,000 people in 34 countries around
the world. GM established its environmental policies and principles
in the early 1990s and was the first Fortune 50 manufacturing