A Year in Review: Sustainability Progress

2014 sustainability report highlights progress across eight core focus areas
May 12, 2015 3:55 PM ET

Last week we launched our new sustainability report, outlining the progress we made in 2014 to make our vehicles and manufacturing processes more efficient with less environmental impact.

From expanding our lineup of fuel efficient vehicles and setting a new standard for customer safety, to reducing plant emissions and serving the communities in which we live and work, we’re on a mission to transform transportation while strengthening our company, communities and the industry at large.

The 2014 report highlights eight core issues: customer satisfaction, vehicle safety, fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions, GM people, operational impact, supply chain, community impact and innovation. Here’s a look at the progress we’ve made in each focus area.

Customer Satisfaction:

  • Implemented a wide range of initiatives across all GM brands globally to better serve our customers and increase satisfaction levels.
  • Committed to the Consumer Privacy Protection Principles set forth by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
  • Developed our Global Connected Customer Experience organization, combining management of all customer touchpoints, allowing leaders to directly impact the customer’s experience.

Vehicle Safety:

  • For the 2014 model year in five of our largest markets, 63 models received the highest possible overall vehicle score for their respective market’s new car assessment program (NCAP).
  • Restructured the decision-making process for safety recalls and implemented the new Safety and Field Investigations process globally.
  • Launched Speak-Up-for-Safety program globally to empower GM employees and dealership employees to elevate vehicle safety concerns.
  • Developed Global Product Integrity (GPI) organization to strengthen vehicle safety, compliance systems and integration.

Fuel Efficiency and CO2 Emissions:

  • Increased the number of U.S. vehicles with some form of electrification from 153,034 to 180,834 vehicles.
  • Increased the number of U.S. models that can achieve EPA-estimated 40 mpg highway or better from five to six models.
  • Reduced average CO2 tailpipe emissions of U.S. fleet by 6.3 percent against a 2011 baseline; of Opel/Vauxhall fleet by 3.3 percent against a 2012 baseline; and, China fleet by 0.5 percent against a 2013 baseline.

GM People:

  • Conducted second global Workplace of Choice (WOC) survey to measure employee engagement and better understand concerns, recording an increase in positive employee perception across every region, country and global function compared to the first survey results.
  • Focused on grassroots changes that matter to employees, such as global expansion of select Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), in recognition that employee engagement extends beyond leaders to employees themselves.

Operational Impact:

  • Through 2014, decreased manufacturing energy and carbon intensity by 11 percent against a 2010 baseline as we pursue a 20 percent reduction goal for energy and carbon and a 15 percent reduction goal for water by 2020.
  • Increased renewable energy use by over 30 megawatts (MW) to just over 100 MW globally.
  • Increased the number of landfill-free sites from 112 to 122 sites, while reducing total waste from facilities by 9 percent year-over-year.
  • Completed one community outreach activity on an environmental and energy issue at 100 percent of manufacturing facilities around the world.

Supply Chain:

  • Introduced Strategic Supplier Engagement Program to foster stronger, more productive and transparent supplier relationships that drive performance.
  • Increased response rate in CDP Supply Chain Program by 11 basis points and expanded initiative to invite responding suppliers to participate in CDP Action Exchange.
  • Joined Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) to collaborate with other industries toward strengthening the integrity of smelters in a conflict mineral-free supply chain.

Community Impact:

  • Made significant investments worldwide in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs to help develop the next generation of talent.
  • Continued to build a global database of community outreach programs from more than 170 manufacturing plants in an effort to better quantify our local impact on a global basis.
  • Celebrated the 25th anniversary of GM GREEN, our watershed education program, by expanding participation to include every U.S. and Canadian manufacturing location.

Innovation:

  • Announced expansion of electric vehicle portfolio with introduction of the next-generation Volt and Chevrolet Spark EV, as well as an all-electric concept vehicle, the Bolt.
  • Began deployment of 4G LTE mobile broadband technology by equipping more than 30 of our 2015 models in North America.
  • Prepared to launch three vehicle-sharing pilots or programs in North America, Europe and Asia as part of our urban mobility initiatives.

To view our interactive 2014 sustainability report, visit www.gmsustainability.com.