INTRODUCTION
The CEC embarked on this project of “Improving the
Economic and Environmental Performance of the North American
Automotive Industry Supply Chain” with the objective
of re-engaging key automotive companies for the development
and implementation of green supply-chain programs across North
America. This builds precisely on the language within the
2010–2015 CEC Strategic Plan of: “building on
our success in the automotive manufacturing sector through
continued efforts to green critical components of supply chains
across the continent and support the ongoing recovery of this
important sector.”
Initiatives for greening the North American automotive industry
have been supported by the CEC in the past, specifically in
the 2009–2010 Operational Plan and Council Resolution
06-06. Past CEC efforts succeeded in stimulating competitiveness
to the sector and reducing environmental impacts through collaboration
with the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) organization
in the United States. Expansion of an automotive supply chain
program into Canada and Mexico was also near completion when
it was suspended by the misfortune of the unexpected economic
downturn.
This project proposes now to extend work in greening the
automotive supply chain throughout Canada and Mexico to create
a "one window" North American program. Continuing
the work already started by the CEC in the automotive sector
is important to establish a successful cooperative trilateral
initiative and achieve a business-driven, self-supported North
American partnership that will promote greening of the automotive
supply chain in North America.
Given the success of the work already underway within the
United States and the strong integration of the auto sector
across all three countries, this project will allow both Canada
and Mexico to benefit from existing efforts in the United
States, level the playing field across North America, and
permit trilateral cooperation. These programs can be the foundation
for automotive manufacturers and their suppliers to share
information and practices that will improve environmental
and economic performance within this North American sector
supply chain.
In June of 2011, CEC announced the launch of this new project
on “Improving the Economic and Environmental Performance
of the North American Automotive Industry Supply Chain”
at the National Environmental Sustainability Summit (NESS)
in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Throughout the remainder
of the year, the CEC worked to engage automotive manufacturers,
suppliers and government representatives in the United States,
Mexico and Canada in its mission to develop green automotive
supply chain programs in both Mexico and Canada. By year’s
end, a conceptual framework for new organizations in each
country had been proposed and a series of activities had been
planned to drive continued progress in each country in 2012.
The following report summarizes the project activities of
June 2011 – December 2011 as the CEC worked to engage
a core of key stakeholders in the initiatives in each country;
identify unique environmental challenges and opportunities
impacting the automotive supply chain ideally suited to the
project; support the exchange of existing tools, resources
and information of relevance to the sector; and, build the
foundation for the creation of business-driven self-supported
green automotive supply chain programs in North America.
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