Since it began the waste reduction program, the company has cut the cost of its waste reduction efforts from about $10 per ton to about 80 cents.

Water

Over the past year, GM’s global water intensity fell 0.8 percent, from 4.66 to 4.62 cubic meters per vehicle. This was a four percent reduction from GM’s 2010 baseline, en route to the company’s goal of a 15 percent reduction by 2020.

The company says that its manufacturing facilities represent 85 percent of its water use, although relative to many other products, automotive manufacturing is not particularly water-intensive. GM’s heaviest water users are paint shops and casting plants. It also says that only eight of its facilities – a small percentage – are in water-stressed areas.

The automaker’s water-saving tactics include reusing condensation and treated wastewater, and harvesting rainwater. In Mexico, its San Luis Potosí plant is cleaning and reusing 90 percent of wastewater in its plant operations, saving about 264 gallons of water per vehicle built.

VOCs

Over the year, VOC emissions from assembly painting held steady at 3.5 kg per vehicle. The company counts VOC emissions from ELPO, primer, topcoat, final repair and cleaning solvents, which it says are the major sources of VOC emissions from typical paint shops, and excludes minor sources such as maintenance painting and sealers.

Products

For the 2013 model year, 20 of GM’s US models have an EPA-estimated 30 mpg or better highway mileage. Four models rack up 40 mpg or more, and the company plans to double the number of such models in the next few years. In 2012 the average CO2 emissions of GM’s US fleet were 2.4 percent below its 2011 baseline, and the company is aiming for 15 percent by 2016.

Its fuel economy plan focuses on cutting vehicle mass and on aggressive investment in advanced materials, such as high-strength steel, carbon fiber and aluminum. The company says it is also improving the thermodynamic efficiency of gasoline engines using technologies including downsizing, turbocharging, direct injection, variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation.

By last year GM had put 179,801 vehicles with some form of electrification on the road, up from 48,108 in 2011. It is aiming for 500,000 by 2017. The company says that today about 10 percent of its fleet can be powered by alternative fuels such as diesel, biofuels, compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and electricity.