AMERICAN car maker General Motors (GM) launches its Suppliers’ Partnership for the Environment Southern Network to bolster the automotive recycling infrastructure in the southeastern US, and consequently to increase the number of non-landfill facilities from 104 to 125 by 2020, through exchange of best practice in recycling and reuse.
The project came about in February with car manufacturers, suppliers, recycling partners and government officials invited at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee complex to discuss about waste reduction challenges and recycling opportunities.
‘Compared to other regions where GM has plants, the south east has opportunity to build up its recycling economy,’ said John Bradburn, GM’s Manager of Waste Reduction Efforts, adding that matching local recyclers with companies in the area can strengthen the recycling infrastructure.
“‘No one entity can solve this challenge; it will take many people to help transform how businesses manage their waste,’ he said.
To support this thrust, all by-products of GM are useful and marketable, and generating an estimated revenue worth US$1 billion annually, Bradburn said, and thus, collaboration with the Suppliers’ Partnership Network had already produced tangible benefits, such as the idea of converting oil-soaked booms into parts for the Chevrolet Volt electric car.
In lieu of this, companies are assimilating sustainability into their businesses, observed Jamie Stitt, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Business Development at the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development, further noting that developing environmental initiatives along with the economic growth is important.
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