Ford Builds on Eco-Friendly Products and Process as More Consumers Live Sustainable...

Ford Builds on Eco-Friendly Products and Process as More Consumers Live
Sustainable Lifestyles

DEARBORN, Mich., May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

SUMMARY:
-- Statistics show that one in four adults in the U.S. are living more
sustainable lifestyles; interested in companies that are more socially
responsible and buying products that are healthier for people and the
planet.
-- Along with advancing greener powertrain alternatives such as EcoBoost,
hybrid and battery electric vehicle technologies, Ford is taking a
more
sustainable approach to vehicle interiors. Newest applications include
suede-like material created from recycled plastic pop bottles and seat
fabrics - made with 100 percent post-consumer yarns - which are
featured
on the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKZ.

-- Ford designers and researchers will share where the company is headed
in
terms of how the use of more bio-based, recycled and reclaimed
materials
for vehicle interior applications can create the quality product
consumers demand while reducing Ford's carbon footprint at the 2009
Ward's Auto Interior Conference in Dearborn on May 21.

CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:
Although consumers are more cost-conscious during these stressed economic
times, many remain committed to more sustainable lifestyles and products,
evident by the growing demand for items such as organic foods, clothing,
personal-care and cleaning products. In fact, goods and services focused on
health, the environment, social justice and sustainable living represent a
$209 billion marketplace in the U.S. Ford's use of more bio-based, recycled
and reclaimed materials for vehicle interiors gives the company further
leverage with this expanding consumer segment that's living green.

IMAGES: Additional images available at www.media.ford.com

DETAILS:
Ford designers and researchers are taking a total green approach to vehicle
development and design, stepping beyond just fuel efficiency and what's under
the hood and incorporating more sustainable materials and processes inside the
vehicle, too.

Ford's award-winning soy-based foam seat cushions and backs, for example, will
be on more than 1 million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles by the end of
this year, leading to a total reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of more
than 5 million pounds. Most recently, Ford announced that the all-new 2010
Ford Taurus SHO, Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ will feature sustainable interior
materials such as seat fabrics made with varying degrees of post-industrial
yarns, suede-like material created from plastic pop bottles, chromium-free
leather and engineered ebony wood, all of which reduce waste, energy
consumption and CO2 emissions.

To ensure these greener material measures resonate with customers, Ford
designers are gaining a deeper understanding of the different levels of green
consumerism. Statistics show that one in four adults in the U.S. are living
more sustainable lifestyles; interested in companies that are more socially
responsible and buying products that are healthier for people and the planet.

Designers also are examining what's the most expressive way to use these
materials in vehicle interiors and how do they best represent the vehicle
brand. Customers, for example, expect suede to look and feel like suede even
if it's made from plastic bottles. Interior wood accents, a common luxury-car
cue, must exhibit rich colors and textures, whether it's derived from a
natural veneer or a more eco-friendly reconstituted wood veneer.

Ford researchers are challenged with developing alternative interior materials
that perform without compromise to functionality or durability, can be
manufactured in a more eco-friendly manner, decrease our dependence on foreign
oil and are cost effective. No interior application is off limits on the
research front, with plastics, rubber, foam, film and fabric under the
microscope. No material is discarded as a possible substitute, either, from
recycled items such as old blue jeans and plastic pop bottles to bio-based
sources such as hemp, wheat straw, corn and soybeans.

The goal is to provide the company with as many sustainable material choices
as possible for interior components front to back, from seat cushions and
fabrics to underbody and impact shields, headliners, trunk liners and more.

In Vehicles Today
Ford's imaginative use of sustainable materials for vehicle interiors in North
America includes:
-- Award-winning soy-based polyurethane foams on the seat cushions and
seat
backs, now in production on the Ford Mustang, Expedition, F-150,
Focus,
Escape, Escape Hybrid, Mercury Mariner and Lincoln Navigator and
Lincoln
MKS. Within a year after its 2007 introduction on the Mustang, Ford
was
using soy foam seats on more than 1 million vehicles, which results in
a
reduction of petroleum oil usage by 1 million pounds annually. This
year, Ford is expanding its soy-foam portfolio to include the
industry's first application of a soy-foam headliner on the 2010
Escape and Mariner.
-- 100 percent post-industrial recycled yarns in seat fabrics. The 2008
Ford Escape was the first vehicle in the U.S. to use seating surfaces
made from 100 percent post-industrial recycled fabric. The 2010 Fusion
and Mercury Milan Hybrids feature 85 percent post-industrial yarns and
15 percent solution died yarns. The use of 100 percent post-industrial
yarns represents a 64 percent reduction in energy consumption and a 60
percent reduction in CO2 emissions.
-- 100 percent post-consumer recycled yarns in seat fabrics. The 2010
Ford
Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKZ utilize fabrics made from pop bottles to
further reduce consumer waste and at the same time maintain the
luxurious hand and appearance required for luxury vehicles. Each meter
of this micro denier suede is made from 20 recycled plastic pop
bottles.
-- Underbody systems, such as aerodynamic shields, splash shields, and
radiator air deflector shields, made from post-consumer recycled
resins
such as detergent bottles, tires and battery casings. In 2008, nearly
a
dozen Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products featured these applications,
diverting between 25 and 30 million pounds of plastic from landfills.
For the 2009 model year, all North American products will use the
recycled resin.

-- Engineered ebony wood. Recycled and reassembled grain by grain, this
wood is stained with a water-based stain to give it the warm, rich
appearance luxury vehicle owners expect without destroying additional
trees. The wood is featured on Lincoln products, including the
Navigator, MKX and MKS. For 2010, the Lincoln MKZ will also offer
interior leathers tanned with a more earth-friendly, chromium-free
process.

On the Horizon
Ford's holistic and sky's-the-limit approach to using more sustainable
materials means that researchers are hard at work developing new
implementations of other renewable materials to help reduce resource burdens,
waste and emissions as well as help reduce the weight of vehicles and improve
their fuel economy. Applications on the horizon include:

-- Corn-based, compostable and natural-fiber filled plastics. Under
development are, for example, natural-fiber composites as a potential
substitute for the glass fibers traditionally used in plastic
automotive
components to make them stronger.
-- Polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable plastic derived completely from
the sugars in corn, sugarbeets, sugarcane, switch grass and other
plants. Plastic parts made from PLA can biodegrade after their life
cycle in 90 to 120 days versus up to 1,000 years in a landfill for a
traditional petroleum-based plastic.
-- The replacement of petroleum-based fillers with soy protein fillers in
rubber for items such as door seals, floor mats, gaskets and splash
shields.

-- Experimentation with nanotechnology, including nano-filler materials
in
metal and plastic composites to reduce weight while increasing
strength.

QUOTES:
"Ford is committed to offering customers affordable, environmentally-friendly
technologies in vehicles they really want. We are focused on providing
solutions that can be used not for hundreds or thousands of cars, but for
millions of cars because that is how Ford truly can make a difference."

- Alan Mulally, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company

"Wherever petroleum-based materials exist - in plastic, rubber, foam, film or
fabric - we are looking to minimize its proportion and replace it with a
sustainable material."

- Dr. Cynthia Flanigan, Technical Expert/ Ford Plastics Research

"When we consider incorporating a sustainable material into an interior, we
have to be sure that it supports the brand, that it can be manufactured in
such a way that conserves energy, natural resources and reduces CO2 emissions,
and, most importantly, that it provides the appearance, quality and durability
that our customers expect."

- Carol Kordich, Designer/ Ford Corporate Design

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn,
Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With
about 205,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's
automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company
provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more
information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company

Charlotte Fisher of Ford, +1-313-323-7045, cfishe60@ford.com