An Aggressive Approach

Automakers haven’t always had a reputation for being environmentally friendly. But with 95 percent of all vehicles in the U.S. being recycled, this may be a case where perception isn’t reality.

Ford Motor Co. has been using recycled and renewable materials for more than a decade in its vehicles, but consumers may not have heard about this until recently. That’s because the Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker placed fuel economy as the foremost priority in the company’s environmental message for the past few years. Ford says it felt that fuel economy was an environmental issue that would resonate more with consumers. And yet, behind the scenes, Ford had another sustainability story to tell.

Ford was continuing to develop new applications for plastics and fabrics as a way to make more of its vehicles recyclable. The company claims today that its vehicles are 85 percent recyclable, which is better than the national average of 80 percent.

“We know other automakers are taking similar approaches, but we think we are ahead of the pack in terms of the level,” says John Viera, Ford’s director of sustainability and environmental policy. “We are taking an aggressive approach because we feel it is the right thing to do.”

PROOF IN THE PLASTIC

During the last decade, the company has increased its use of recycled plastic and other non-metallics as well as incorporated bio-based materials in its vehicles. For example, post-consumer recycled resins, including detergent bottles, tires and battery casings, are used to make underbody systems in vehicles. This includes aerodynamic shields, splash shields and radiator air deflector shields. The engine cam cover on the 3.0-liter V-6 2010 Ford Escape is also made from these recycled resins.

But Ford’s use of recycled content goes beyond the traditional plastic applications. Post-industrial recycled yarns are used in the seat fabrics of the Ford Escape and the Escape Hybrid. The use of recycled content in so many of its parts is one component of Ford’s goal to be an industry and market leader in terms of its environmental strategy, according to the company.

Ford’s sustainability strategy can be divided into two categories: fuel economy and sustainable materials. While Ford cannot say for certain whether its sustainability efforts have translated into sales, Viera says he believes that it gives Ford a competitive edge that could end up being the tie-breaker in a consumer’s purchase decision.

One thing that is certain is the cost savings that have been realized both economically and environmentally at Ford. The company estimates it has saved $4.5 million in 2009 by using recycled materials and has diverted 25 million to 30 million pounds of plastic from landfills in North America. Using recycled yarns instead of new yarns can mean as much as a 64 percent reduction in energy consumption and a 60 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to using new yarns, Ford says.

The company also is using repurposed nylon carpeting. It is turned into nylon resin and molded into cylinder head covers for Ford’s 3.0-liter Duratec engine. In Europe, the Ford Focus model uses recycled polymer in its battery tray, wheel arch liners, seat fabric and carpets. Ford says this technology may be introduced in North America in 2011.

Right now, most of the parts that incorporate the recycled content are “the black, rubbery type parts” because they are the most economically viable, according to Viera. A lot of these parts incorporate recycled pop bottles. Plastic parts like panels and shelving also use recycled content. Those types of parts have been the push for the past decade. As petroleum costs continue to rise, however, he says Ford will look at introducing more parts that incorporate recycled content instead of using petroleum-based virgin material.

Some parts used in Ford’s vehicles contain between 15 and 50 percent recycled content. The reason for such a wide range can depend on the appearance and durability sought for the component. According to Viera, there are performance requirements that must be met. Ford takes what he calls “a no-compromise approach.” This may limit the amount of recycled content that is used in each application.

BIO-BASED FOCUS

While the incorporation of recycled materials has been part of the Ford strategy for more than a decade, more recently, the use of bio-based materials has come into play. Ford uses bio-based polyurethane foams, such as soy, on the seat cushions, seatbacks and headliners on 11 models. Ford says it has more vehicle models that use soy and other bio-based materials than any other automaker. There are more than 2 million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles on the road that contain bio-based material, according to the company, which estimates this has led to a reduction of 1.5 million pounds of petroleum usage.

Ford also has replaced glass fibers, which are known to be energy inefficient and difficult to recycle, with wheat-straw-reinforced plastic for the third row storage bins of the 2010 Ford Flex. According to Ford, it is the first automaker to use this application.

INDUSTRY-WIDE EFFORT

Viera admits that increasing the use of sustainable materials has not only been a goal of Ford’s, but of the entire American auto-making industry. “That was our focus initially from a ‘Big Three’ standpoint,” he recalls.

“More than 10 years ago, our focus was to be able to recycle as much of the vehicle as possible,” adds Viera. “That was an effort driven by USCAR (The United States Council for Automotive Research).”

USCAR is an umbrella organization for collaborative research among Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. that was formed in the early 1990s.

Since there were no government incentives or subsidies at that time to help facilitate automotive recycling, the intention was, according to Viera, to have the natural market drive recycling. That is why, he says, the recyclable components of vehicles go to the markets that stand to gain the most from the material.

“Steel and aluminum have more value going to other non-automotive markets. It is not so important that we use the scrap metal to go back into our vehicles or for plastic pop bottles to make more plastic pop bottles,” Viera explains.

A GLOBAL APPROACH

The global market also is shaping Ford’s sustainability approach. In the past, Viera says Ford had different approaches all over the globe. In Europe, where automakers are required by law to take back the vehicles they’ve produced at the end of life, Ford’s recycling efforts were leading efforts elsewhere, even compared to the U.S.

Because of this, Ford has looked to its European operations for guidance as it has moved toward a more global approach in how it addresses the use of recycled content.

“The Europeans are leading our overall effort pushing that approach globally. We find that driving that same approach here in the U.S. is helping us,” says Viera. He adds that emerging markets have proven challenging since the same infrastructure is not in place from both a recovery and content standpoint.

In addition, there are many market-driven processes that work in some markets and not in others. In Japan, for example, auto shredder residue (ASR) is burned and used to generate electricity. In the U.S., however, most ASR ends up in landfills. Viera says the same thing could be done in the U.S. that they are doing in Japan once the economics are right. But until that happens, the focus remains on reducing the 15 percent of Ford’s vehicles that are not recyclable. This means increasing recycled content and replacing more glass-based and petroleum-based materials with more renewable and compostable materials.

AN INDUSTRY APART

As for the 5 percent of vehicles that never make it to the recycling center for processing in the U.S., Viera says it has nothing to do with the vehicles themselves. When compared to other forms of recycling, he points out that a 95 percent recovery rate for automobiles is far and beyond what other industries have accomplished. He cited Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that, in comparison, only 52 percent of paper and 31 percent of plastic soft drink bottles are recycled in the U.S.

Ford says it has started to educate the public with its recycling message not only so consumers will understand, but also so the marketplace outside of the auto industry will want to use its materials in other products.

“We remain focused on achieving the highest economically viable and environmentally sound recovery percentage possible,” Viera says.

The author is associate editor of Recycling Today and can be contacted at ksmith@gie.net.