In an effort to accelerate the adoption of sustainable car-manufacturing practices, Ford has been collaborating with Heinz to repurpose dried tomato fibres as a durable bioplastic material for vehicles. The food-processing by-product could be used for a car’s wiring brackets and storage pockets. Heinz squashes more than two million tonnes of tomatoes annually for its signature ketchup, so the supply of 100 percent plant-based automotive plastics to Ford is potentially huge. The American automaker already has “green fingers” – it introduced rice husk-filled electrical harnesses, coconut-based composites, recycled-cotton carpets and fabrics, plus soy-foam seat cushions and head restraints.
0
