GDC, Inc., a Tier One component supplier based in Goshen, Ind., is being recognized with the General Motors Environmental Excellence Award for its consistent collaboration in supplying recycled-content parts and contributing to community-based stewardship and recycling initiatives.
GDC was instrumental in helping insulate sleeping bags for the homeless and turning oil-soaked booms into parts for the Chevrolet Volt.
“We’re striving to make effective and efficient products that also benefit the environment and society,” said Chris Miller, vice president of sales and engineering, GDC. “We see opportunity for more recycled-content components within the auto industry. By connecting with automakers like GM, we can come up with new projects and opportunities, some with lasting societal impact.”
GDC works with GM on the following projects:
- Enabling the donation of GM scrap vehicle material for coats that transform into sleeping bags for the homeless: The coats are the brainchild of humanitarian Veronika Scott, whom GM approached with an unconventional idea for their insulation: leftover sound absorption material from production of Chevrolet Malibu and Buick Verano sedans. The material is GDC’s Sonozorb™ – manufactured in different shapes to fit within door cavities and vehicle compartments for sound absorption. GDC now reprocesses small pieces of that leftover scrap into large fabric rolls, used to enhance the coat’s warmth.
- Developing a variety of nearly 100 percent recycled-content components to manage vehicle airflow: GDC worked with GM facilities to set up a program to collect and recycle used test tires from GM’s Milford Proving Ground and plastic shipping caps from its landfill-free Fort Wayne Assembly plant. It compounds these materials with other post-consumer plastics to make air and water baffles for a variety of Buick, GMC and Chevrolet vehicles.
- Assisting GM in diverting 227 miles of Gulf of Mexico oil spill booms from the nation’s landfills. GDC compounded the boom’s plastic material to create Chevrolet Volt air management baffles.
GDC is a member of the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment, a group GM helped form. It provides a forum for suppliers to work with automakers to share environmental best practices, while also providing economic value throughout the supply chain. GDC is the eighth supplier recognized with GM’s annual Environmental Excellence Award. For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit www.gm.com/environment and its GMBeyondNow.com environmental blog.
