Abstract

The case examines the environmental sustainability initiatives at the US based Ford Motor Company (Ford). Founded in 1903, Ford was the fourth-largest automaker in the world based on the number of vehicles sold in the year 2009. Since the early 1990s, the company had started taking efforts to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment. The company established targets to achieve reduction in the usage of energy, water and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. It also pledged to invest in developing environmentally friendly vehicle technologies including hybrids, diesels, bio-diesels, advanced engines, etc. However, in spite of its environmental initiatives, Ford attracted criticisms. Environmentalists criticized the company for not taking enough measures to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its operations. The case also details other criticisms against the company.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the environmental policy of Ford.: Learn about the initiatives taken by Ford to address issues concerning environment in its operations.: Analyze the nature of criticism against Ford’s environmental sustainability efforts.

Keywords

Ford Motor Company, Environmental Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, Green House Gas Emissions, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions, Economic and Environmental Goals, Environmentally Friendly Technologies, Environmental Performance, Global Reporting Initiative, Sustainability Report, US Environmental Protection Agency, Volatile Organic Compound, US Climate Action Partnership, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Environmental Performance Metrics, ENERGY STAR Award, Sustainable Business Strategy, Investor Network on Climate Risk