environmental management systems (EMSs) in place
at our facilities provide a framework for identifying areas for
improvement and measuring progress toward performance
targets. This framework helps us manage our environmental
footprint and moves us closer toward our long-term vision of
operating in harmony with the environment.
When we suspended production during the economic
downturn, our EMSs enabled our employees to find and
implement process improvements and low-cost kaizen
opportunities. Our employees used their expertise and
creativity to find ways to reduce our use of energy and water,
increase recycling, and reduce air emissions. We described
many of these in other chapters to demonstrate progress against
our five-year Environmental Action Plan.
We could not have achieved all of this alone. We work with
our business partners in order to attain the best results. Our
suppliers and our dealers play a large role in the success of our
environmental initiatives.
Our targets in the areas of vehicle life cycle assessment,
environmental management systems, and environmental
management with our business partners are described in