By Kerri Jansen, Crain News Service
DETROIT (Feb. 19, 2013) — General Motors Co. is hosting a forum today focused on how auto makers and their suppliers can reduce waste to landfill and improve materials efficiency in the southern U.S.
The Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) Southern Supply Chain Forum, to be held at GM's Spring Hill, Tenn., complex, will connect auto makers, suppliers, recycling partners and government officials as the first step in boosting regional recycling in the Southeast, the company said in a press release.
SP, a group that GM helped form, promotes business-centered approaches to environmental protection, according to its website.
"Compared to other regions where GM has plants, the Southeast has opportunity to build up its recycling economy," John Bradburn, GM manager of waste-reduction efforts, said in a statement. "By connecting local recyclers—and those with potential—with area companies, we can start to address the gaps and build a more robust infrastructure that will help the auto industry and beyond to leave a smaller footprint.
"No one entity can solve this challenge; it will take many people to help transform how businesses manage their waste," he said.
GM reports revenue of about $1 billion per year from byproduct recycling and reuse, according to the release.
This report appeared in Waste & Recycling News, a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business.