Totally Green Inc : Chevy Adds Sustainability Label

Chevy adds sustainability label
Morgan Lee
January 27, 2012

Chevrolet will be adding an eco-label to new vehicles that tells shoppers more about the environmental impact of the entire manufacturing process and various auto components, the company announced Friday.

"We know plant by plant, component by component, powertrain by powertrain how these vehicles are made, what the recyclability is - and we provide that information to the customer," Mike Robinson, vice president of sustainability and global regulatory affairs for Chevrolet, told U-T San Diego.

A broad spectrum of companies, from Qualcomm to Johnson & Johnson, now audit and publish their greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts.

Chevrolet says its "Ecologic" window stickers on showroom cars and trucks are a response to customer feedback and research.

"Our customers are really interested in sort of a holistic view of the company and not only the product itself," Robinson said.

Consumers already are due to see a lot more information on government mandated car labels. The EPA has overhauled its fuel economy labels starting with model year 2013 in an effort to help consumers take advantage of new fuel efficiency standards and the benefits of electric and alternative-fuel vehicles.

Robinson said Chevy's additional label is intended to provide another layer of detail about where those fuel efficiency savings come from - be it variable valve timing in the engine block or low-friction tires on the ground.

"It's also going to tell you about the plant it came from," he said. "It's going to talk about the end-of-life recyclability of the vehicle. It's a sort of a before, during and after if you will."

The Detroit-based division of General Motors says many of its plants are landfill free - reusing, recycling or converting into energy all the waste they create. Labels on the Chevy Traverse crossover SUV will highlight the efficiencies of an assembly facility in Lansing Delta Township, Mich., that earned high marks under the U.S. Green Building Certification System.

Chevy's Ecologic labels are being verified by independent, third-party auditor Two Tomorrows.

The first labels will appear on the 2012 Sonic, a compact car that Chevy is marketing toward a young, environmentally conscious demographic.