Ford and supplier Recycled Polymeric Materials
(RPM) are combining recycled tires with bio-
renewable content to produce environmentally
friendly seals and gaskets for the automaker’s
vehicles.
The gaskets and seals are derived from 25 percent
post-consumer particulate from recycled tires and
17 percent bio-renewable content from soy.
In total, more than 2.2 million pounds of rubber
from recycled tires has been made into RPM seals
and gaskets; more than 210,000 used tires have
been recycled. Additionally, 150,000 pounds of soy
has been used to create the materials.
The seals also offer a weight savings, with more
than 1,675 tons of weight removed from Ford
vehicles on the road.
“When it comes to finding a way to use more
renewable and recyclable content in our vehicles,
Ford and our suppliers are looking at every part
of a vehicle,” says Dr. Cynthia Flanigan, Ford’s
technical leader for research and innovation. “"As
long as an application makes sense and upholds
strict quality standards, we’ll look to get these
sustainable materials inside our vehicles.”
The sustainable gaskets were first introduced to
Ford in 2008, and have expanded to include 11
models:
- Escape
- F-150
- F-250
- F-350
- Fiesta
- Flex
- Focus
- Mustang
- Taurus
- Transit Connect
- Lincoln MKS
Ford’s “Reduce, reuse and recycle” commitment
is part of the company’s broader global
sustainability strategy to reduce its
environmental footprint while at the same time
accelerating the development of advanced fuel-
efficient vehicle technologies around the
world.
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Over the past several years Ford has concentrated
on increasing the use of recycled plastics and
bio-based materials whenever possible, provided
these materials are environmentally favorable and
meet all durability and performance requirements.
Examples include soy foam seat cushions, wheat
straw-filled plastic, recycled resins for
underbody systems, recycled yarns on seat covers
and natural-fiber plastic for interior
components.
“Our team continues to develop new technologies
that reduce our environmental footprint,” says Dr.
Debbie Mielewski, technical leader at the plastics
division. “We have already been successful in
incorporating soy foam seats on all North American
vehicles and are actively expanding the research
front into a variety of new plastics and rubber
areas.”
For more information, visit www.ford.com.
