Five Star Rating: GM Earns Fifth ENERGY STAR® Award

DETROIT, March 28, 2016 /3BL Media/ – General Motors earned its fifth U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year award for leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. The company continues to find ways to cut energy each year and reduced energy by 5.6 percent per vehicle in 2015 at its U.S. manufacturing plants.

Energy savings mean financial savings. GM avoided $237 million in energy costs and reduced 1.8 million metric tons of carbon emissions by engaging 73 of its facilities in an EPA ENERGY STAR energy-reduction challenge since 2010. The company has also earned ENERGY STAR certification at 11 facilities, meaning those sites perform more efficiently than similar buildings.

The resulting bottom-line savings ultimately benefit customers through new product innovations and offerings.

“GM reinvested $7.4 billion to develop safer and more fuel-efficient vehicles with reduced emissions last year,” said Jim DeLuca, GM executive vice president of Global Manufacturing. “We’re continually in pursuit of innovative technologies to reduce the environmental impact of driving, as well as practices that lessen the carbon footprint of manufacturing those vehicles.”

GM has a robust energy management system integrated into its business plan, engages its suppliers in ENERGY STAR practices and honors dealerships committed to reducing environmental impact. In total, these activities helped the company win the highest distinction of the award: Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence, for the fourth consecutive year. 

A Partnership for Change
Collaboration drives continued progress at GM. The company joined EPA ENERGY STAR as a partner over 20 years ago and uses several of its programs.

GM recently became an EPA Green Power Partner, working together to advance clean energy use. The company’s Fort Wayne Assembly plant is a top 30 generator of onsite green power, powered 30 percent by methane captured from decomposing trash at a nearby landfill. 

GM also uses EPA SmartWay^® to redesign shipping routes. Through mode changes, optimizing drop-off locations and altering delivery frequency, GM and its logistics suppliers avoided 116,000 tons of carbon emissions in 2015. This is equivalent to the carbon emissions from over 13 million gallons of gasoline burned.

“By continued collaboration with ENERGY STAR, GM is helping Americans save money, save energy and do their part to reduce our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate climate change,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.

Committed to Energy Efficiency Awareness
GM spreads the word year-round on the benefits of energy conservation, from enabling young visitors at the company’s headquarters to make an environmental pledge during “Take Your Child to Work Day” to arranging lunchtime energy information events for employees. 

Last year the company hosted three #CleanEnergyU Twitter chats to encourage millennials to take action on climate change. GM also became one of the first 13 companies to sign the White House American Business Act on Climate Pledge.

GM’s customers and other stakeholders can learn more about its ongoing energy efficiency initiatives on its new website, generalmotors.green. With ENERGY STAR’s help, the company is making progress in its commitment to reduce energy and carbon intensity by 20 percent by 2020.

For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

Colleen Oberc
GM Environment & Energy Communications
Mobile 248-296-1690
colleen.oberc@mslgroup.com