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
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.
