Sustainability Seals the Deal: Ford Recycles Tires and Soybean Oil in the Engine Compartment

Ford and Recycled Polymeric Materials (RPM) have teamed up to deliver environmentally friendly gaskets and seals made from recycled tires and bio-renewable content such as soy
More than 2.2 million pounds of rubber from recycled tires has been made into seals and gaskets and more than 210,000 used tires have been recycled. 150,000 pounds of soy has been used to create the materials
The gaskets and seals are featured on 11 2011-model-year Ford Motor Company vehicles, including F-150, Escape, Mustang, Focus and Fiesta

Ford's use of recycled tires and soy oil on engine gaskets have helped increase the company's use of sustainable materials on 11 vehicles.
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DEARBORN, Mich., July , 2011 – Ford and Recycled Polymeric Materials (RPM) have found a way to put discarded tires to good use. By combining recycled tires with bio-renewable content, they are delivering environmentally friendly seals and gaskets for Ford Motor Company vehicles.

The gaskets and seals are derived from 25 percent post-consumer, recycled tire particulate 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 and 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, Ford and our suppliers are looking at every part of a vehicle,” said Dr. Cynthia Flanigan, technical leader, Research and Innovation. “As long as an application meets our strict quality and performance standards, we’ll strive to get these sustainable materials on our vehicles."

The sustainable gaskets were first introduced to Ford in 2008, and have now expanded to include 11 vehicles.

Ford Motor Company vehicles that feature the sustainable seals and gaskets include:

Ford Escape
Ford F-150
Ford F-250
Ford F-350
Ford Fiesta
Ford Flex
Ford Focus
Ford Mustang
Ford Taurus
Ford Transit Connect
Lincoln MKS

Eco-friendly solutions
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.

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,” said Dr. Debbie Mielewski, technical leader, Plastics. “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.”