For nearly two decades, Ford has sought to reduce its environmental impact by implementing sustainable alternatives to traditional vehicle materials. Examples of this include coconut fiber backs trunk liners; recycled tires and soy are in mirror gaskets; recycled T-shirts and denim go into carpeting; and recycled plastic bottles become REPREVE fabric used in the 2016 F-150.
This morning, Ford issued a press release announcing its latest initiative in this area. Ford is the first automaker to formulate and test new plastic and foam components made from captured CO2. The new biomaterial is showing great promise, meeting rigorous automotive testing standards. With the new material, petroleum could potentially be reduced by more than 600 million pounds annually.
“Ford is working aggressively to lower its environmental impact by reducing its use of petroleum-based plastic and foam,” said Debbie Mielewski, Ford senior technical leader of sustainability. “This technology is exciting because it is contributing to solving a seemingly insurmountable problem – climate change. We are thrilled to be leading the charge toward reducing carbon emissions and the effects of climate change.”
".@Ford Turning Captured CO2 Into Car Parts, Expanding Healthcare Outreach in Africa https://t.co/wt7GZECo2x"
— Sustainable Brands (@SustainBrands) May 17, 2016