Ford makes “greener” vehicles with renewable and recyclable materials
April 21st, 2010 - 12:56 am ICT by BNO NewsDEARBORN, MICHIGAN (BNO NEWS) – Ford announced Tuesday that their vehicles are becoming “greener” by using an increased amount of renewable and recyclable materials.
Examples of these eco-friendly initiatives are the soy and bio-based seat cushions and seatbacks on the 2010 Ford Taurus.
According to their report, Ford vehicles are now 85 percent recyclable by weight, and in 2009, Ford saved approximately $4.5 million by using recycled materials, diverting between 25 and 30 million pounds of plastic from landfills in North America alone.
“By increasing the use of recycled or renewable content and reducing the use of undesirable materials whenever possible, we’re helping to reduce waste to landfills by millions of pounds – and we’re doing it around the world,” said John Viera, Ford’s director of Sustainability and Environmental Policy. “More than ever before, the spirit of ONE Ford that drives our global product strategy also drives our commitment to sustainability.”
Ford’s initiative of building with green materials has been developing for the past several years, increasing the use of non-metal recycled and bio-based materials such as, soy, recycled detergent bottles, tires, battery casings, post-industrial recycled yarns, repurposed nylon carpeting, and wheat straw-reinforced plastic for the construction of several parts within their vehicles like seats, cushions, cylinder head covers, storage bins, underbody systems, among other parts.
But Ford’s commitment to quality remains intact, as “sustainable materials need to meet the same high standards for quality, durability and performance as virgin material; there can be no compromise on product quality,” said Valentina Cerato, Ford materials engineer in Europe.
As the vehicle company continues to research and explore further sustainable material applications, automobiles are still among the most recycled consumer products. More than 95 percent of all end-of-life vehicles in the U.S. are processed for recycling – compared to 52 percent of all paper and 31 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles.
Kelley Blue Book, the United States’ largest automotive vehicle valuation company, released a top 10 “green cars” for 2010 list on Tuesday, which included two Ford vehicles:
1. Toyota Prius
2. Honda Insight
3. Ford Fusion Hybrid
4. Volkswagen Golf TDI
5. MINI Cooper
6. Ford Escape hybrid
7. Honda Fit
8. BMW 335d
9. Toyota Highlander hybrid
10. Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid.
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