Ford has become the first automaker to use 100% recycled ocean plastics to produce automotive parts. Wiring harness clips in Ford Bronco Sport models are made of ocean-harvested plastic—commonly referred to as “ghost gear.”

The strength and durability of the nylon material equals that of previously used petroleum-based parts but with a 10% cost savings and requiring less energy to produce. The small parts represent a large first step in the company’s plans to produce other parts of recycled ocean plastics on other models.

Up to 13 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, threatening marine life and polluting shorelines, according to Pew Charitable Trusts, a global nongovernmental organization. Much of that is attributed to the fishing industry, which has come to rely on plastic fishing nets and other equipment because of the durability, light weight, buoyancy and low cost of the material. Those same qualities contribute to creating ghost nets, a fatal and growing threat to marine life. Ghost gear comprises nearly 10% of all sea-based plastic waste, entangling fish, sharks, dolphins, seals, sea turtles and birds.

Invisible to vehicle occupants, the Bronco Sport’s wiring harness clips, which weigh about five grams, fasten to the sides of the Bronco Sport second-row seats and guide wires that power side-curtain airbags. Despite spending time in saltwater and sunlight, the Akulon RePurposed material is as strong and durable as petroleum-based clips.material is as strong and durable as petroleum-based clips, Ford testing shows.

Spurring jobs creation throughout the development process, the plastic material is collected from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea by DSM Engineering Materials. Items produced using plastics collected from the oceans include a wide range of consumer goods, but not until now have automotive parts been on that list.

The process begins with DSM harvesting discarded nylon fishing nets. The plastic is washed of saltwater, dried, and extruded to form small pellets, which are then injection-molded by supplier HellermannTyton into the desired clip shape. Ford is already planning additional parts using recycled ocean plastics, including transmission brackets, wire shields and floor side rails—all stationary parts with strength and durability demands that the material can meet or exceed.

For more than two decades, Ford has used recycled plastics not collected from oceans to produce various parts for automobiles. Most recently, the automaker used recycled water bottles to produce lightweight, aerodynamic-enhancing, noise-reducing underbody shields on the 2020 Ford Escape.

The introduction of parts made of recycled ocean plastic opens new opportunities and builds on a global effort to help reduce ocean debris that hampers sea life or, when harvested, further clutters landfills.

Posted on 09 December 2021 in Australia, Market Background, Plastics, Ports and Marine, Recycling, Vehicle Manufacturers | Permalink | Comments (3)

There are two things here: cleaning the oceans of plastic and making plastic parts for cars. They are separate and can remain so. If you want some green fairy dust, then say that you will remove 1 ton (or whatever) of plastic from the ocean for each Bronco sold, or say that you will remove an amount equal to X% of the weight of all vehicles sold. At the very least, remove an amount equal to the weight of plastics in the cars. What you do with it is another matter. You could burn it for power (cheap) or clean it and recycle it as plastic (probably expensive), or put it into landfill (not so good), but at least you have got it out of the ocean (or rivers or lakes). Replacing a few parts weighing a few hundred grams is no good, you should aim for 10's and 100's of Kg.

Posted by: mahonj | 09 December 2021 at 02:39 AM

Just a very silly and inconsequential PR move. Take all plastic and melt it into 3D printed panels for building houses instead of fiddling around with little parts.

Posted by: William Taylor | 09 December 2021 at 10:04 AM

Could we use reclaimed plastics as the insulation and binder for structural insulated panels (SIPs) in houses instead?  Polystyrene does make a good insulator.  I have no idea how well it would serve as a binder for cement skins on SIPs, but given that it is flammable it should be kept off the surface.

Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 12 December 2021 at 07:53 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.