BMW and Toyota Create Most ‘Sustainable Value,’ Report Finds
According to a recent study, Toyota and BMW use their economic, environmental and social resources more efficiently than other worldwide automakers, with US manufacturers still lagging behind.
The study, from Belfast’s Queen’s University Management School, the Euromed Management School Marseille and Berlin’s Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment , measures the sustainable performance of worldwide auto manufacturers from 1999 to 2007, comparing resource use efficiency of production for factors such as emissions, work accidents, waste generation and water use.
In an interesting formula, they created a new, yet vague term, sustainable value, as the basis of their metrics. The study ranked automakers in terms of the amount of “sustainable value” they create as a result of using social, economic and environmental resources. The more efficient a company is in using these resources, the more sustainable value they create. Sustainable Value in Automobile Manufacturing calculates the amount of sustainable value generated in both absolute terms and in relation to its sales.
To view this report, the fine folks at GreenBiz.com were kind enough to post it, which you can view at this link.
Bottom line, North American car manufacturers are clearly lagging their European and Asian competitors. Perhaps, the “new” GM and Ford will improve their “sustainable value” while also creating greater shareholder value in the coming decade. This would surely create a win-win situation.
Maybe then, what is good for GM will also be good for the planet.
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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and environmentally-friendly promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive eco-friendly advertising specialty search, featuring over 250,000 eco promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find recyclable, biodegradable, organic or recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame. View the Go Green website at EcoMarketingSolutions.com and comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.
