Ford Motor Company and Coca-Cola partnered to create the above car interior for the Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid. The fabric used on the seat cushions, seat backs, head restraints, door panel inserts and headliner is made from repurposed Coca-Cola bottles – which, themselves, are made from plants.
Of course, this isn’t the first time we hear of vehicles trimmed in plastic bottles. At least year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford debuted “Repreve” – a fabric made from upcycled plastic bottles. Also, the Nissan Leaf has been upholstered in a similar fabric since 2011.
The goal, of course, is to meet new EPA standards imposed on automakers to produce more eco-friendly cars. According to business blog PSFK, plant-bottle materials can go a long way in doing just that.
The potential energy savings and environmental benefits if the material was rolled out across Ford’s current vehicle line are impressive. Ford projects it would displace nearly 4 million pounds of petroleum-derived materials, as well as save the equivalent of 295,000 gallons of gasoline and 6,000 barrels of oil. [more]
It’s nice to see two of the world’s most recognizable brands teaming up to produce something so positive. The question is, when will DLTL Upholstery Supply start selling Coca-Cola by the yard?
Am I the only one amused that the trim is black and green, with no red in sight?
I really like the idea of making fabric out of recycled materials. In fact, I like the idea of recycling period. I think I watched a documentary about the Great Pacific garbage patch once and was shocked into an awareness of how much garbage we generate. That mass of garbage out there in the Pacific is just the stuff that gets outside our legitimate ‘throw it away and take it to landfill’ routine. It blows my mind how much plastic and metal we make and simply dispose of. If we can reuse it somehow, that seems to be the right way to go.
If I’ve used recycled fabrics I didn’t know it, so I can’t say how it stands up in look, feel, and durability. It would be nice if it was as good as virgin materials.
–Jim