Soy foam proves key to Ford’s push to use renewables

Soy foam is being used in seat cushions, seat backs and headrests of Ford vehicles.

A lot of people are familiar with soy — tens of millions of consumers eat and drink it every day. But what might come as a surprise is that many of us actually sit on recycled soy all of the time.
This year marks 10 years since Ford first used soybean-based foam in the 2008 Mustang, and since 2011, it is being used in seat cushions, seat backs and headrests of Ford vehicles in US.
Now, 18.5-million-plus vehicles and half a trillion soybeans later, we have saved more than 228 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
This is the same amount that would be consumed by 4 million trees per year, according to North Carolina State University.
The innovative use of soy foam as a plant-based alternative to traditional petroleum-based products is what inspired us to adopt it in 2007 – bringing key sustainability benefits to our vehicles without compromising durability or performance.
We set out to explore how to improve the formulations, rebalance the chemistries and remove odorous compounds from Soy.
The world is now a different place.
In earlier days, we relied on a combination of things, including support from the United Soybean Board in funding some initial trials, as well as the personal vision and crucial endorsement of Bill Ford, then CEO of the group.
We needed him firmly in the driver’s seat and he absolutely was, ensuring the project stayed on track.
In 2008, when oil prices skyrocketed, the value of soy foam became suddenly obvious. Not only it was replacing petroleum-based polyol good for the environment, it was good for business. So, Ford was ready.
We were eager to share the potential for soy foam and boost sustainable applications of it wherever possible, so we worked with other industries – agriculture, furniture and home goods – to help them formulate foams specific to their needs as well.
Building on our success with soy foam, we began to develop other renewable materials to incorporate into our vehicles, which in turn further helped us reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In some cases, the material allowed for weight reductions as well, leading to improved fuel economy for many of our vehicles.
We are also exploring innovative uses of carbon itself, and are first in the industry to develop foams and plastics using captured carbon dioxide.
Ford intends to remain the industry leader in the use of sustainable materials as we move into a future that is guaranteed to be exciting.
Ford believes we can provide the world with a host of alternative material choices that have less impact on the environment.