Case study: How Ford Otosan treats waste responsibly
Ford Otosan is the largest commercial vehicle production centre of Ford Europe, with a production capacity of 455,000 commercial vehicles, 70,000 engines and 140,000 rear axles. Ford Otosan works on creating projects to eliminate waste at its source, produce less waste in processes where elimination at the source is not possible, support the reuse of waste, and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and incineration plants.
This case study is based on the 2019 Sustainability Report by Ford Otosan published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
Ford Otosan takes steps to prevent the generation of waste such as paper and plastic with green office practices Tweet This!, also organising trainings and communicating with its employees in line with its zero waste target. In order to treat waste responsibly Ford Otosan took action to:
- reduce plastic waste
- implement a compost project
- launch a Bioamp Bacteria Application
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Ford Otosan has identified;
- How Ford Otosan proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Ford Otosan to treat waste responsibly
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2019 Sustainability Report Ford Otosan identified a range of material issues, such as customer satisfaction, vehicle and traffic safety, energy efficiency and emissions, innovation and digitalisation. Among these, treating waste responsibly stands out as a key material issue for Ford Otosan.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Ford Otosan engages with:
To identify and prioritise material topics Ford Otosan engaged with its stakeholders through the following channels:
Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
Shareholders & Investors
| · Corporate web site and Investor Relations · Mobile Application · Investor and analyst presentations · Special circumstances disclosures · Meetings to assess financial results · One-to-one interviews and meetings · Meetings · Plant visits · Annual Report and Sustainability Report |
Employees
| · Ford Otosan Working Principles · Internal portal · Internal television broadcast · Suggestion, appreciation and reward system · Working groups and committees · Internal publications such as Journal and General Manager’s Message Bulletin, announcements and notices · Social events · Performance Management System · Annual Report and Sustainability Report · Employee engagement surveys and questionnaires · Open Door and leadership meetings |
Media
| · Annual Report and Sustainability Report · Interviews and conversations · Meetings · Press releases · Special circumstances disclosures |
Vocational Schools, Universities and Academy
| · Annual Report and Sustainability Report · Academic congresses and seminars · Articles and publications, academic researches · Joint projects · Training and technical support · Sponsorships · Meetings |
Dealerships
| · Annual Report and Sustainability Report · Dealer meetings, Dealer Council and one-on-one · meetings · Dealer and customer satisfaction surveys · Internal publications · Trainings for dealers |
Koç Community Companies
| · Annual Report and Sustainability Report · Working groups · Project partnerships |
Public Organisations
| · Annual Report and Sustainability Report · Audits · Meetings · Trainings |
Suppliers and Subcontractors
| · Annual Report and Sustainability Report · Ford Otosan Working Principles · Trainings · Award ceremony · One-to-one interviews · OHS Committees |
Non-Governmental Organisations
| · Annual Report and Sustainability Report · Working groups, Committee and the Board of Directors Memberships · Memberships · Joint projects and initiatives · Meetings |
What actions were taken by Ford Otosan to treat waste responsibly?
In its 2019 Sustainability Report Ford Otosan reports that it took the following actions for treating waste responsibly:
- Reducing plastic waste
- Ford Otosan adopts the zero waste approach in tackling plastic pollution and implements projects to reduce plastic waste at its source. Ford Otosan supports Koç Holding’s commitment to end consumption of disposable plastics by the end of 2020 and continues its efforts accordingly, eliminating the use of disposable plastics in dining halls and offices, reducing plastic consumption in these areas by 50%. Ford Otosan is also carrying out an awareness campaign in order to eliminate the use of plastic bags for the parts delivered as wrapped in nylon covers in Yeniköy and Gölcük plants. Ford Otosan examined the packaging of 454 different parts under the My Plant My Environment (Benim Fabrikam Benim Çevrem) project and identified the opportunity to improve the number of pieces per case for 177 parts, improve the number of pieces for 266 parts and reduce the use of plastic bags. And in terms of logistics costs, Ford Otosan saves 764,000 TL annually.
- Implementing a compost project
- In line with the goal of reducing domestic waste at the Eskişehir Plant, Ford Otosan designed a composting machine to produce compost and built it with the metal waste materials obtained from the plant. Thanks to this machine, food waste from the cafeteria and the tea wastes from the tea houses are used to produce compost. Ford Otosan aims to use this compost as a plant nutrient in the green areas located at its plant site and to give them to employees who demand it. Experimental studies and outputs of the project are still examined as an undergraduate thesis at Eskişehir Technical University, Environmental Engineering Department.
- Launching a Bioamp Bacteria Application
- Ford Otosan started to use bacteria instead of an oil trap to prevent the oils generated during the washing process from flowing into the wastewater. The bacteria prevented fat accumulation and solidification. Thanks to this project, Ford Otosan reduced waste generation and saved from monthly cleaning time and labour, also minimising occupational health and safety risks.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 306-2 Waste by type and disposal method
Disclosure 306-2 Waste by type and disposal method corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Targets: 3.9
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all
- Targets: 6.3
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Targets: 12.4, 12.5
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Ford Otosan, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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