Choosing More Sustainable Materials

We are working to improve the sustainability of our vehicles by using materials that are more sustainable from a total life cycle perspective. This includes increasing the use of recycled, renewable, recyclable and lightweight materials. Recycled materials incorporate post-consumer and/or post-industrial waste materials; renewable materials are made from plant-based materials; and lightweight materials use special materials and/or designs that provide the same or better performance as other alternatives with less weight.

Recycled Materials

Recycled materials do not mean low-quality materials. Our researchers work to ensure that post- industrial and post-consumer recycled-plastic materials have the same level of quality and same material specifications as the virgin material parts. In some cases, we are working to recycle the materials from our auto parts right back into the same use. For example, we are developing methods for recycling and cleaning post-industrial recycled fascia and bumper scrap so that it can be molded into new fascias and bumpers. We are even working to “upcycle” certain materials – that is, recycle it into uses with higher material and performance requirements than the virgin material. For example, we are working on upcycling post-consumer laundry detergent containers and milk bottles into blow-molded automotive components. In addition, we are developing a method to recycle polyurethane foam scrap to make new polyurethane foam components instead of landfilling it at the end of its life. In Europe, we will soon launch vehicles that use upcycled post-consumer drinking bottles for energy-absorbing materials.

This section describes our efforts to include recycled content in our vehicles, and to recycle parts removed from our vehicles during vehicle servicing.

Using Recycled Materials in “Nonvisible” Parts

Our efforts to increase recycled materials focus on nonmetallic parts, which historically have had little or no recycled content. We recently updated our global sustainable materials strategy, which stipulates that a wide range of parts on vehicles be made out of plastics from post-consumer recycled waste, such as beverage bottles, tires and automotive battery casings. The vehicle parts containing recycled content include underbody and aerodynamic shields, fender liners, splash shields, stone-pecking cuffs, battery-housing covers and base plates, wheel-arch liners, heating and ventilation components, fan shrouds and powertrain undershields, and fabric rear-wheel liners. Our global sustainable materials strategy saves money and reduces landfill waste. We estimate that in North America alone, Ford saves approximately $10 million per year by using recycled materials.

Most of our recycled-content parts are made of at least half-recycled materials. For example, many underbody and underhood plastic parts are made from 75 percent recycled batteries and 8 percent recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles. Most of the underbody molded and/or masticated rubber parts we use in North America are made from blends of recycled polypropylene and car tires, and contain 75 percent to 90 percent post-consumer recycled content. We use more than 50 million pounds of post-consumer recycled materials on the exterior of Ford vehicles made in North America, which translates to more than 17.8 pounds per vehicle on average across our North American fleet.

These parts not only increase our use of recycled materials, they can also have additional benefits. For example, fabric rear-wheel liners, which contain 30 percent to 40 percent recycled content, are 50 percent lighter than plastic wheel liners, and they absorb sound, which potentially reduces the need for sound-deadening insulators, sprays and foams. We continue to expand the use of recycled plastics into additional parts where they meet performance and cost requirements.

We are using post-consumer recycled nylon in many underhood parts, including air-cleaner housings, engine fans, fan shrouds, HVAC temperature valves, engine covers, cam covers and carbon canisters. We are using nylon resin made from recycled carpets for cylinder head covers in the Ford Escape, Fusion, Mustang and F-150.

Using Recycled Materials in Visible Interior Applications

Across our global operations, we are also using recycled materials for interior parts, where it can be much more challenging to achieve the necessary appearance and performance than using recycled materials for underbody, subsurface and exterior black parts. We are continuing to expand our use of recycled seat fabrics and seat components that meet all appearance and performance requirements.

Since the 2009 model year, the seat fabrics in most of our new or redesigned North American vehicles have been made from at least 25 percent post-industrial or post-consumer recycled content. Thirty-seven different fabrics meeting the requirements have been developed and incorporated into Ford vehicles. In addition, many of our non-woven headliner fabrics now contain 50 percent to 75 percent recycled yarns, depending on the color.

Ford is the first automaker to use REPREVE® – a hybrid fiber made from recycled plastic water bottles and post-industrial waste – for seating fabric. This fiber, which was introduced on the 2012 Ford Focus, is being used on the 2013 and 2014 Ford Focus, 2013 and 2014 Ford Fusion, the 2014 Ford Edge, and the 2015 Ford Mustang and Ford F-150. Approximately 22 plastic, 16-ounce water bottles are used to make the seat fabric in a Focus; approximately 39 such bottles are used for seats in the Fusion S and SE; and between 63 and 110 such bottles are used for the F-150, depending on the model. The following table highlights some of the recycled-content interior materials in our recent vehicles:

Recycling Parts Removed During Vehicle Servicing

In Europe, we are recycling damaged parts collected by dealers. In the U.K., we are recycling bumpers that have been damaged in accidents or replaced in service. Ford dealers collect the bumpers, which are recycled into new bumpers and other plastic parts. Previously, dealers had to pay to dispose of these bumpers as waste. In the U.S., 2013 marked the 10-year anniversary of our Core Recovery Program, through which we have been reusing and recycling parts removed at dealership service centers for use in the production of new Ford vehicles. We have continually expanded the number of parts that we reuse or recycle through this program. The program works similarly to bottle-recycling programs available in many U.S. states. Ford dealership service centers are charged a fee when they order a new part from Ford, but this fee is refunded if the dealer recycles the old part through the Core Recovery Program. When we collect a part from a dealership, we determine whether it is fit for refurbishment and placement into a new Ford vehicle. Parts that can be remanufactured are cleaned, machined and tested to meet Ford quality standards before being used in new Ford vehicles. If a part cannot be remanufactured, we send it to a third party where it is broken down into small pellets that are eventually shipped back to Ford for use in the new-vehicle manufacturing process. During the last 10 years, the program has saved approximately 120 million pounds of vehicle waste from being buried in landfills or being sent to junkyards. In addition to reducing waste, this program has also saved Ford money.

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Renewable Materials

Ford Motor Company has a long tradition of developing and using plant-based materials, which started with the company’s founder, Henry Ford. Mr. Ford passionately believed in a partnership between industry and agriculture, each using the products of the other. In the 1940s, Ford vehicles used soybean oil in plastic body panels and paint, as well as wheat-straw-reinforced steering wheels. We continue this legacy today through an active renewable materials research and product development program. Ford is a recognized leader in bringing high-performance, durable, plant-based materials to millions of vehicles every year. The average Ford vehicle uses between 20 pounds and 40 pounds of renewable materials, depending on the vehicle size class. Almost 300 parts used across Ford’s vehicles are derived from sources such as soybeans, cotton, wood, flax, hemp, jute and natural rubber.

Using renewable materials in our vehicles has many environmental, economic and performance benefits. For example:

• Reduced carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions
• Reduced vehicle weight, resulting in improved fuel efficiency and lower vehicle emissions
• Reduced use of petroleum and lower dependence on foreign oil
• Creation of new markets for agricultural products and additional revenue streams for farmers
• Reduced manufacturing energy requirements
• Reduced commodity and manufacturing costs

In 2013, we introduced several new renewable materials in Ford vehicles, all of which resulted from extensive internal research and partnerships with material experts in multiple industries. For example:

• A new composite plastic material reinforced with rice hulls was introduced in the wire harness of the 2014 Ford F-150. The rice hulls, which are a by-product of rice grains, are sourced from farms in the U.S.
• An industry first application of cellulose-reinforced plastic was introduced in the 2014 Lincoln MKX. This material, developed with Weyerhaeuser and Johnson Controls, is being used to replace fiberglass reinforcement in the center console. The cellulose fibers in this composite come from sustainably grown and harvested trees, and related by-products. The material reduces weight by approximately 6 percent and has a smaller carbon footprint than the glass-fiber reinforced plastic it replaces.
• A demonstration vehicle with interior fabrics using The Coca-Cola Company’s PlantBottle® technology, which produces a plastic made from 30 percent plant-based materials. Ford researchers worked with Coca-Cola to adapt this technology, formerly only used in plastic packaging, for use in vehicle fabrics. The material was used for the seat fabric, headliner and door-panel inserts of a Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid vehicle. If PlantBottle interior fabrics were migrated across the majority of Ford’s U.S. models, it would displace nearly 4 million pounds of petroleum-derived materials and save the equivalent of 295,000 gallons of gasoline and 6,000 barrels of oil.

Some of our other key renewable materials activities are described below.

Soy-Foam and Soy-Oil Applications

In 2007, Ford was the world’s first automaker to implement soy-based foam in seat cushions and seat backs. Since 2011, all Ford vehicles built in North America have soy foam in their seat cushions and backs. In addition, 75 percent of headrests produced in North America have soy foam, and the headliner on the Ford Escape is made from soy-based foam.

Ford currently has soy-foam seats in more than 15 million vehicles on the road, which reduces petroleum oil usage by more than 5 million pounds annually. Life cycle analyses that compare soy foams with traditional petroleum-based foams show a net decrease of 5.5 pounds of CO₂ per pound of soy oil used. Ford’s use of soy foam reduces our annual CO₂ emissions by 20 million pounds – the annual equivalent of emissions from more than 1,500 typical American households. In addition, using soy foam decreases dependence on petroleum and increases the use of renewable agricultural commodities. Soy foam also offers the potential for cost savings as well as insulation from petroleum product price swings.

We continue to investigate new applications for soy foam, such as for underhood and energy-absorbing foams.

Ford and our supplier partner Recycled Polymeric Materials (RPM) continue to expand the use of new “green” seals and gaskets that incorporate both renewable soybean oils and post-consumer, recycled tires. This material is currently used in eight of our vehicle lines, including the Ford Focus, Fusion, Flex and Taurus. In 2013, the use of these greener gaskets and seals diverted approximately 112,000 pounds of used tires from landfills and has used approximately 64,000 pounds of soybean oil.

We have introduced plant-based castor oil foam in the instrument panel of the 2012 Ford Focus and 2013 Ford Escape. The castor-oil foam, which includes more than 10 percent renewable content, provides a more sustainable interior foam solution than petroleum-based foam. It also reduces scrap due to improved flow and processing characteristics, is more durable than the materials it replaces, and reduces production time by more than 40 percent.

Natural Fiber Reinforced Plastics

We use renewable, natural-fiber materials to reinforce plastic and for other applications in vehicles. As described above, we introduced cellulose-reinforced plastic in the 2014 Lincoln MKX, the first application of this material in our industry, and new rice-hull-reinforced plastics in the wire harness of the 2014 Ford F-150. Other examples of natural-fiber materials in our vehicles include:

• Lignotech, a compression-molded polypropylene and wood material used in the door panels of the European Ford Focus and Fiesta.
• Kenaf, a tropical plant is used to reinforce compression-molded plastic in door parts. The Ford Mondeo and Escape use a mixture of 50 percent kenaf and 50 percent plastic in the interior door panels. The use of kenaf reduces the weight of the door bolsters by 25 percent, which translates into better fuel efficiency.
• Wheat-straw-reinforced plastic is used in the storage bins of the Ford Flex — the world’s first application of this material. The use of wheat-straw-reinforced plastics in the Flex reduces our petroleum usage by some 20,000 pounds and our CO₂ emissions by about 30,000 pounds annually.

Developing Future Renewable Materials

We continue to actively research and develop new renewable materials and applications at Ford’s research centers around the world, and through partnerships with automotive suppliers and non-automotive partners. Some of our key research partnerships are outlined below.

• We are continuing to work with the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC), a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, H.J. Heinz Company, NIKE and Procter & Gamble to accelerate the development and use of 100 percent plant-based PET materials. The overall goals of the partnership are to research and develop commercial solutions for PET plastic made entirely from plants, and to drive the development of common methodologies and standards for the use of plant-based plastic, including life cycle analyses and universal terminology.
• Ford has forged a new partnership with the World Wildlife Fund along with The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, H.J. Heinz Company, Nestle, NIKE, Procter & Gamble and Unilever to launch the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA). As the BFA’s only automaker, Ford will work alongside other member brands to drive environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable production of bioplastic feedstock. Through the Alliance, Ford will strengthen its long-standing commitment to the environment by advancing research and development of bioplastics for use across its vehicle lineup.
• In conjunction with Ohio State University, Ford Research has initiated a project to develop sustainable sources of materials to replace synthetic rubber. We are looking at two sources – dandelion root and guayule (a plant grown in the Southwest U.S.) – as possible replacements for natural and synthetic rubber in our plastic and rubber parts. Ford is continuing to participate in a university- and industry-based collaborative effort called the Program of Excellence in Natural Rubber Alternatives, which we joined in 2012, to investigate and develop new technologies related to alternative sources for rubber and latex.
• Ford has also pioneered the use of modified soy oil in synthetic rubber, as a replacement for petroleum oil. This uses a Ford-patented technology to replace part of the petroleum oil with soy or modified soy oil in rubber formulations. It does not affect the base rubber material. Through funding provided by the United Soybean Board, Ford scientists have been researching the use of renewable oils in rubber formulations. Soy-based rubber parts – such as radiator deflector shields, air baffles, cup-holder inserts and floor mats – are under consideration for future Ford vehicle programs.

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Lightweight Materials

We are actively pursuing the development and use of cutting-edge materials – including high-strength steels, lightweight metals such as aluminum and magnesium, and composite materials – to reduce the weight of our vehicles and improve their fuel economy without compromising safety or performance. For example, in 2014 we will introduce an all-new F-150 that makes extensive use of high-strength steels and aluminum. For more information on our use of lightweight materials, please see Weight Reductions in the Sustainable Technologies and Alternative Fuels plan section.

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