The #FarmToCar mission is simple: replace petroleum-based plastics with plant-based materials.https://t.co/ETS8NqtqxL
— Ford Drive Green (@FordDriveGreen) May 10, 2016
If your new Ford vehicle was built in North America in 2011 or later, then it contains soy. Depending on your model, you may also be driving around a car made with rice hulls, kenaf (a tropical plant), wheat straw, flax fiber, and coconut husks. Soon, tomato skins and stems may be added to that list.
Why is the Ford lineup turning into a salad?
There are a number of benefits. Debbie Mielewski, Senior Technical Leader of Materials Sustainability, Ford Motor Company does it for the environmental benefits. Plant-based materials cut carbon emissions, and other associated environmental damage caused by petroleum oil.
Henry Ford developed bio-plastics back in the 1930s to support American agriculture, particularly when farmers were hit hard by the depression.
"In 2007, when oil prices spiked at over $160 a barrel, [bio-plastic] became a very popular, desirable idea," explained Mielewski. So whatever way you look at it -- environmental, or economic -- Ford's research and development of plant-based, renewable automotive materials is a good thing.
Visit Springdale Ford to learn more about which parts of your new car are part of Ford's farm-to-car mission.