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Lightweight sustainable materials can reduce the amount of plastic used in automotive parts, reduce the carbon footprint of the car as a whole and help bring Ford closer to its goal of using more recycled and renewable content in its vehicles. That’s why Ford engineers in Cologne launched an innovative research project to explore how waste from olive trees could be re-purposed to create auto part prototypes.
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Every year, pruning olive trees creates 7 million tons of waste.
The trial was conducted as part of the COMPOlive project — designed to demonstrate the potential impact of using materials made from recycled and renewable materials in vehicles. A substance consisting of 40% olive tree fibers and 60% recycled polypropylene plastic was heated and injection molded into the shape of the prototype auto parts. The waste materials used in the trial were sourced from olive groves in Andalusia, Spain, the region with the highest production of olive oil in the world.
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An example of an auto part prototype made from waste from olive trees.
Ford has a long legacy of research and innovation in sustainable materials, some of which eventually make it into Ford vehicles, including industry-first soybean-based foam seats and post-consumer recycled materials like yogurt cups in the Ford Mustang Mach-E frunk insert and recycled ocean plastic in wiring harness clips in Ford Bronco Sport .
Watch this video to learn more about how Ford is exploring using waste from olive trees to create prototype parts.
Ford’s purpose has always been bigger than building vehicles. We are driven by a desire to build a better world: To improve the lives of our people, the communities we call home, and the planet we all share.
Building a strong, sustainable business takes commitment, effort, and persistence.
It’s going to take work. But that’s what we do best. This is the road we’re on at Ford. The Road to Better.
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