Local Teams’ Driven ‘Zero Mindset’ Expands At General Motors Through ‘Landfill-Free Program’


03/22/2018

The General Motors delivers on its efforts of zero waste production in its operation across the globe by expanding its ‘landfill-free’ programme.


Dailycsr.com – 22 March 2018 – On February 28, 2018, the General Motors made an announcement to reveal its plans of expansion of “industry-leading landfill-free program”. The said programme enables the manufacturing units of the company situated in “Canada, Mexico and South America” to reuse, recycle or even convert its daily operational waste into energy.
 
Keeping itself above “any other automaker”, GM has added 27 new “certified facilities”, whereby having a total of “142 manufacturing and non-manufacturing landfill-free facilities” worldwide.
 
In the words of the Vice President at Sustainable Workplaces:
“We aspire to be a zero-waste company with all manufacturing plants achieving landfill-free status. That zero mindset is driven by our local teams and their efforts to find innovative and sustainable solutions that improve the communities where we live and work.”
 
The “manufacturing operations” of GM that take place Canada are 100% landfills free waste, while they also obtain resources through the “value chain” and reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases. Significant impacts are being created through small and simple solutions; for example the “Oshawa Assembly Plant” as well as the “Canadian Technical Center” have introduced “new waste, compost and recycling container systems” in their kitchens as well as “high-traffic areas” which in turn are “improving recycling efficiencies”.
 
Moreover, “onsite leadership” and participations of the employee in “mixed container recycling” has brought in an improvement of 35% in the process from the year of 2016. The manager of “Global Waste Reduction” at General Motors, said:
“We don’t see things as they are, but what they could be. To us, waste is simply a resource out of place.”
 
Furthermore, General Motors informs:
“From repurposing old concrete for use in new walkways at the company’s sites to cleaning instead of disposing of oil-soaked cloths used in the paint processes, the teams in South America find creative and simple solutions to reduce waste. For instance, General Motor’s São Caetano do Sul plant in Brazil lines waste cans throughout the facility with plastic bags originally used by a local supplier for parts shipment. The project avoids sending nearly 8,000 plastic bags to landfill each year”. 
 
The company gives important to the efforts of global “waste management” whereby “delivering efficiencies, generating revenue and helping with cost savings”. While, the General Motors added:
“The 79 landfill-free manufacturing operations on average reuse, recycle or compost approximately 96 percent of their waste from daily operations and convert 4 percent to energy”.
 
 
 
References:
3blmedia.com