Ford has planned to redirect around 2 million used plastic bottles from landfills, which will be utilized in the latest Focus Electric and other new vehicles.
The Focus Electric features REPREVE-based fabrics, which are manufactured from hybrid blend of post-consumer waste and recycled plastic bottles, approximately 22 recycled polyethylene terephthalate bottles in each car. This is the first vehicle from Ford to feature an interior made from 100% clean technology.
Ford’s lead designer, Carol Kordich stated that the company strives to produce vehicles that deliver optimum fuel efficiency and at the same time ensures at least 25% clean technology in interior materials. The Focus Electric demonstrates this commitment as the company’s first gas-free vehicle. It is also the first vehicle in the automotive sector to use branded REPREVE, Kordich informed.
Unifi and Ford will recycle the plastic bottles collected from the International Consumer Electronics Show and the North American International Auto Show, taking place in Las Vegas and Detroit, respectively.
REPREVE helps in reducing energy usage by eliminating the need to utilize newly refined crude oil for manufacturing purposes. The technology ensures that the Focus Electric meets Ford’s high performance standards.
Kordich added that the company had planned to make Focus Electric as the most sustainable car available to consumers, both in terms of vehicle efficiency and clean technology.
The company’s recycle commitment is part of its sustainability strategy to minimize its environmental footprint and simultaneously speed up the development of fuel-efficient vehicles across the globe.