Ford joins Suppliers Partnership for the Environment

If you haven't heard of the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (known as SP), don't sweat it. This isn't the most vocal environmental organization on the planet. What SP is, is a coalition of automakers and suppliers that work with the EPA "to ensure that the suppliers' products and their processes provide environmental improvement and cost savings to SP participants." Ford has now joined the SP, a group that also includes Chrysler and GM. The news comes to us via Automotive News (subs req'd) and not SP. Their website hasn't had a fresh news release since January, and only four since 2004. I told you they weren't too vocal.
Ford's Andrew Hobbs, the company's environment quality director, said FoMoCo is looking "forward to working with Suppliers Partnership and helping the organization expand its reach within the automobile supply chain while addressing important environmental and sustainability issues within the automobile industry."

The SP's mission and goals are available after the break.

[Source: Ryan Beene / Automotive News]
From SP:

Mission
Provide a self-sustaining forum for large, medium and small service and product vendors who deal with small, mid-sized and large vehicle manufacturers to develop and share tools, information, knowledge, good practices and technical support to ensure that the suppliers' products and their processes provide environmental improvement and cost savings to SP participants.

Goals

1. Maintain a self-sustaining 501(c)(6) trade association, which will demonstrate that by working cooperatively within the supply chain, private sector companies of all sizes can achieve real environmental improvements while providing value to the participants.
2. Provide a mechanism where automotive suppliers through the relationships developed in SP can collect and share information, data and knowledge on ways to improve their environmental performance and, by utilizing EPA communication channels, share the knowledge gained through SP activities with companies and organizations who are not members of SP.
3. Develop, as appropriate, specific tools, reports or documents that address the vision, mission and needs of the organization.
4. Provide a foundation for future activities designed to recognize and encourage new approaches in developing environmental policy.