From 0 – 60: The Numbers Behind Toledo Transmission’s Pollution Prevention Award

Our facility in Ohio uses innovative ways to cut down on the amount of waste and energy generated by the plant, earning it recognition during National Pollution Prevention Week.
Sep 19, 2014 11:35 AM ET

FastLane

In the midst of National Pollution Prevention week, we’re excited to announce that our Toledo Transmission plant, the manufacturer of the 8 speed automatic transmission in the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, has been awarded a “Most Valuable Pollution Prevention” (MVP2) award from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable.

NPPR is a non-profit organization devoted to pollution prevention. In fact, this is the largest membership organization in the U.S. devoted solely to pollution prevention. Pollution is prevented through actions like reducing emissions, eliminating landfill and energy waste, and conserving water.

MVP2 award recipients come from academia, industries, non-profits or have otherwise demonstrated significant accomplishments in pollution prevention. Toledo Transmission’s application was selected for its strength in pollution prevention based on five criteria: innovation, measurable results, transferability, commitment, and optimization of available resources.

Below we’ve broken down the facts to show how the plant achieved this distinction.

Zero
Amount of waste Toledo Transmission sends to landfill. They are one of GM’s 111 landfill-free facilities.

First
GM plant to use landfill gas as a fuel, a process it began in 1994.

Two-time
ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry recipient. To meet the challenge, facilities must reduce energy intensity by 10 percent within five years.

3 percent
Amount of energy provided to facility by Ohio’s largest solar array. Together with landfill gas, these two renewable energy sources provide 19 percent of the facility’s energy.

6 Speeds
As in, 6-speed automatic transmissions built at Toledo Transmission for light-duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, cross-over vehicles and cars. This is in addition to the 8-speed transmissions for the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette.

30 percent
Reduction of energy intensity in one year at Toledo Transmission. This avoided 38,425 metric tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere.

60 percent
Amount of wastewater discharge reduction since 2009, as part of the facility’s ongoing Drive-to-Zero program.