Reinvention: GM Goes Landfill Free

The Reinvention of Manufacturing is about changing the way we make things for the world. It is also about changing the way we treat the world and take care of the world, as shown by the latest announcement from General Motors.
Oh, how the manufacturing world, and what it takes pride in, has changed.

LANSING, Mich. – General Motors’ Lansing Customer Care and Aftersales parts distribution center reached landfill-free status and earned ENERGY STAR® certification for superior energy efficiency from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 The facility generates 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions and 35 percent less energy than similar buildings nationwide. It also is GM’s 100th facility to recycle, reuse or convert to energy all waste from daily operations. These initiatives serve the company’s ongoing energy efficiency and waste-reduction efforts.

 “GM is committed to reducing its environmental footprint worldwide,” said Mike Robinson, GM vice president of sustainability and global regulatory policy. “This distribution center in Lansing is proof of our drive to be energy efficient and increase recycling throughout our operations.”

 To qualify for ENERGY STAR certification, the plant had to perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meet strict energy performance levels set by the EPA from 2010 to 2011.

 The distribution center performed various energy efficiency measures, including upgrading its lighting from metal halide fixtures to 5,200 fluorescent tube fixtures with motion sensors. The effort cut energy use and costs in half.  The facility also integrates energy management into monthly performance scorecards and monitors energy use.

 Achieving landfill-free status makes good business sense. For example, since 2011, the Lansing distribution center generated:

 •$42,358 in revenue from recycling 325 tons of cardboard and 1,054 tons of wood pallets.

 •$27,947 in revenue from recycling 59 tons of lead acid batteries.

 “Our employees are key to these landfill-free and Energy Star milestones,” said Bob Landis, Lansing CCA parts distribution center manager. “Their efforts help us save energy, reduce waste and improve our efficiency every day.”

 In 2010, the facility also underwent the largest vinyl roof recycling project in North America, diverting about 120 tons of waste from local landfills. The process enabled 475,000 square feet of roof membrane to be recycled. Some of the old membrane was reprocessed and used in the manufacture of the new roof material.

 GM’s Lansing Delta Township plant, which assembles the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse, received  ENERGY STAR certification in December.

 No other automaker has as many landfill-free facilities as GM. In 2011, it recycled or reused 2.6 million metric tons at its facilities worldwide, equivalent to more than 38 million trash bags. That year, EPA also presented it with its ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

 In its first sustainability report as a new company, GM committed to achieve 25 more landfill-free sites, reduce total waste by another 10 percent by 2020, and reduce energy intensity 20 percent from its facilities by 2020. For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.

The ebook edition of The Reinvention of Manufacturing, is now due out in early July. 

Rod