Fabrics in the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO were made from plastic bottles and recycled yarn. (Ford)
Detroit's automakers are finding new uses for worn-out jeans, discarded plastic bottles and manufacturing rubbish -- they're recycling them for use in new vehicle parts.
With the rage over going green hitting the marketplace, auto companies are looking for ways to make their vehicles more sustainable, not just under the hood but also behind the wheel. They're incorporating more recycled materials into interiors, upholstery and moldings, and partnering with suppliers to develop bio-based products to replace man-made plastics.
Aside from the feel-good benefits of using eco-friendly materials, automakers also see some cost savings in finding greener alternatives for plastics, fibers and moldings -- although not always.
Recycled parts
- At GM, materials engineers have turned recycled carpet into door-handle brackets and stuffed shredded denim in linings and in crevices to dampen noise.
- In GM's 2010 Buick LaCrosse, discarded packaging cardboard from its Marion Stamping Plant in Indiana is used to make acoustic ceiling panels.
- Chrysler turns scrap yarn from carpet mills into durable plastic for use as an engine part in some vehicles.
- The suede-like seat fabrics in Ford's 2010 Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKZ are made from recycled plastic soda bottles and yarn.
Getting sustainable materials to perform like their highly durable man-made counterparts isn't easy and often requires more effort on the automaker's part to find a suitable substitute. But for many auto companies, it's worth the effort to up their showroom cred with the green-living set.
"If we have two parts -- one is recycled, the other one is virgin -- and they perform and cost the same, why wouldn't [we] use the recycled one?" says Lora Herron, a materials engineer for General Motors who has been heading up the company's efforts to green its materials.
In 2008, 9 percent of all recycled milk cartons, laundry detergent bottles and other materials made out of high-density polyethylene were used in automotive parts in the U.S., according to the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers. A decade ago, that percentage was "negligible," says David Cornell, the association's technical director.
Herron estimates that 5 percent to 10 percent of plastics in GM vehicles are made of recycled content, a figure GM has strived to "ramp up" in the past five years, she says.
At Ford, many plastic parts used in shields and fender liners are made from recycled detergent bottles, tires and battery casings. The company also is developing biodegradable plastics made from sugars in plants such as corn and switch grass for use as automotive parts.
Some plastic parts in the 2010 Toyota Prius are made from plant-derived materials. (Toyota)
The company says that in 2008, its recycling efforts saved it $4 million to $5 million and diverted 25 million to 30 million pounds of plastic from landfills.
"We said, hey, we have to do a little better than great gas mileage," says Carol Kordich, Ford's lead sustainability designer. "So we started looking into the interior."
Likewise, foreign automakers are heeding the call. Toyota says it will strive to make at least 60 percent of its interior vehicle parts out of plant-derived materials this year.
While automakers want to get greener to meet changing consumer tastes, the strategy does not come without challenges. Parts need to perform well but also stand up to the kind of wear-and-tear sustained by vehicles over time. This can be particularly difficult with biomaterials, Herron says.
Motorists aren't likely to see any cars or trucks made out of recycled cans.
"Aluminum actually doesn't recycle that well [for auto parts]," Herron says, "which is strange, because we recycle cans."
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