Ford Motor Company to Receive World Environment Center's 2020 Gold Medal Award for Corporate Sustainability

Oct 29, 2020 6:15 PM ET
Campaign: Gold Medal
The Ford Motor Company awarded the 2020 WEC Gold Medal Award

Read the WEC Independent Jury Citation here

The World Environment Center (WEC) is pleased to announce that its 36th annual Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development will be awarded to Ford Motor Company.  President and Chief Executive Officer of Ford Motor Company, Jim Farley, accepts the Gold Medal Award presented for their outstanding work in Sustainability.

Through a global competition, the independent Gold Medal Jury selected Ford’s application for their commitment to transforming its culture and innovating across the business, from the production line to the design studio; for their commitment to reduce the CO2 emissions from their facilities and their vehicles, in line with the climate targets outlined in the Paris Climate Accord; and for a global carbon reduction strategy focused on powering facilities with renewable energy.

In summarizing the decision of the Gold Medal Jury, Jury Chair Katherine Sierra Former VP for Sustainable Development, the World Bank stated, “On behalf of the independent Jury members, I extend my sincere congratulations to Ford Motor Company for its thoughtful approach to sustainability and social impact. Ford demonstrates its strong commitment to sustainability across its organization, to its customers through innovative products, technologies, and solutions.”

In acknowledging receipt of the prestigious global sustainability award, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley said, “we are honored to accept this year’s Gold Medal award. Under Bill Ford’s leadership for more than 20 years, we are proud of our progress to make sustainability a core part of our business, including supporting and incentivizing the production of electrified products, and creating regulatory certainty that benefits the environment, reduces costs to customers and aims to help us reach our goal of being carbon neutral globally by 2050.”

Glenn Prickett, WEC President & CEO, said, “the World Environment Center congratulates Ford on its Gold Medal Award and looks forward to its continuing leadership to strengthen business performance and create a better society.”

Due to the global pandemic, WEC has decided to forego the annual dinner & award presentation and will hold a virtual presentation in December 2020.

The World Environment Center’s Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development was established in 1985 to recognize significant industry initiatives in global environmental excellence and sustainable development. Recent recipients of the WEC Gold Medal Award are: Ingersoll Rand (now Trane Technologies; 2019), Ecolab (2018), HP Inc. (2017), CH2M (2016), SC Johnson (2015), Unilever (2013), IBM (2012), Nestlé (2011), Wal-Mart Stores (2010), The Coca-Cola Company (2009), and Marks & Spencer (2008).

The Gold Medal Jury is independent of WEC and its programs, and is composed of international leaders from academia, government, non-governmental organizations, and retired industry professionals. 

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected services.  Ford employs approximately 187,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

About the World Environment Center

The World Environment Center, headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices and operations in emerging and developed markets, is unique in its direct application of sustainable development strategies and practices to the business operations of global companies. WEC creates sustainable business solutions through individual projects in emerging markets; convenes leadership roundtables to shape strategic thinking across a range of sustainability topics with a specific focus on the preparation of business leaders to implement sustainability; and honors industry excellence through its annual Gold Medal Award. An independent non-profit organization, WEC conducts no advocacy activities. For more information, please visit www.wec.org.

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