GREEN INSIDE: FORD COOKS UP ‘EDIBLE’ INTERIORS

From hemp clothing and bamboo floors to chemical-free makeup, today’s Earth-friendly choices are de rigueur for millions of consumers worldwide.  A growing social consciousness has elevated sustainability from trend to lifestyle in less than a decade, driven by waning natural resources and global security concerns.  

While this cultural shift may be relatively recent, Ford’s history of pioneering renewable solutions dates back to the Model T.  Here are just a few green technologies you may not know about – found inside Ford vehicles on the road today – and potential sustainable solutions for the future:   

• What Lies Beneath – The 2008 Ford Mustang, F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator are giving customers a greener ride, thanks to Ford’s industry-first soy-based seat foam.  Based on the Mustang application alone, Ford’s soy-foam is on track to deliver a carbon dioxide reduction of 605,000 pounds annually.  The technology now is being expanded to additional vehicles lines and further developed for use in John Deere tractors, riding mowers and other equipment.  (See soy release for more details)
• Don't Throw That Out !

• The 2008 Ford Escape features America's first seat fabric made from 100 percent post-industrial materials.  The new fabric, supplied by Interface Fabrics, Inc., is produced from 100 percent post-industrial waste – defined as something originally intended for retail use that never makes it to the consumer.  This can be anything from plastic intended for pop bottles to un-dyed polyester fibers.
• The Ford Mustang debuted the auto industry's first soy-based seat foam, replacing petroleum-based foam. The eco-friendly technology is now featured in the 2008 Ford F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator and will be in the 2009 Ford Escape.

This plastic and polyester is processed, spun into yarn, dyed and woven into seat fabric.  Recycling waste that otherwise would be destined for landfills has obvious environmental benefits.

Interface Fabrics estimates that Ford’s use of post-industrial recycled materials, rather than virgin fibers, could conserve an estimated 600,000 gallons of water, 1.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents and more than 7 million kilowatt hours of electricity.

• The Color of Luxury – The Lincoln MKR concept vehicle features several innovative interior solutions, beginning with the extensive use of wood on the instrument panel.  This wood is a reengineered oak, which has been recycled and reassembled grain by grain, and stained black to give the wood a warm, rich appearance – without using additional trees.

In addition to recycled wood, the Lincoln MKR concept includes chromium free leather, renewable soy foam seat bases and mohair carpet.

Each soy-based seat in the Lincoln MKR concept is wrapped in a creamy cashmere leather made through a more environmentally responsible chromium-free process..

  This unique combination of materials gives the concept a rich-looking interior while demonstrating the more environmentally friendly amenities luxury buyers are expecting in premium goods, including vehicles.

• Coming Soon – The 2009 Lincoln MKS flagship will introduce soft leather perfected with vegetable dyes and a chromium-free tanning process.  Reclaimed wood and an Olive Ash wood trim, made when roots of two trees grow together, offer green luxury as well.  
• Green In Between – Not all green solutions are visible to customers.  Ford is developing a sustainable replacement for the fiberglass now used between the headliner of a vehicle and the roof sheet metal.  The replacement material is bio-based, improves acoustics in the vehicles and neutralizes odors.  It’s also lighter than fiberglass, which will help enhance fuel economy.
• Pure Fabrication – Ford is studying ways to introduce hemp, corn, switch grass, flax and other natural fibers into the vehicles of tomorrow.  Natural fibers are biodegradable, require comparatively less energy to produce and offer weight savings versus petroleum-based products.  Ford’s Plastics Research team is looking to natural fiber composites as a potential substitute to the glass fibers traditionally used in plastic automotive components to make them stronger.  Among the possibilities under study are fender reinforcements, a tow impact shield and an engine valve cover. 

Ford researchers have made considerable inroads with polylactic acid (PLA) – a biodegradable plastic derived completely from corn – to make plastic polymers similar to those made from petroleum-based resources.

“If a plastic is made from corn, it’s compostable,” said Debbie Mielewski, technical leader, Ford Plastics Research. “When you throw a PLA component away, it will disappear within 90 to 120 days given the right humidity, temperature and microbes, as opposed to ending up in a landfill for 1,000 years.”  

As they research ways to strike the right balance between durability and recyclability, the Plastics Research Team also is exploring shorter-term PLA applications, like using the material for labels on the vehicle fuel door.