These days, businesses everywhere are focusing on ways to make their operations greener, whether it's through creative energy sources, recycling programs or innovative materials in their products. One company that's making huge strides to improving its eco-friendliness is Ford. In fact, the company is going so far as to include a number of flowers from the tropics in one of its new vehicles for 2013.
Recently, Ford announced that its 2013 Escape will be made with plant material, reports the Chicago Tribune. Specifically, the company will be using a tropical plant called kenaf to create part of the interior door bolsters. The plant is related to cotton and okra, but it looks like bamboo - those zen plants that are popping up in homes everywhere.
"The kenaf plant is a member of the Hibiscus family and is native to tropical regions of southern Asia," reports TomsGuide.com. "Although Ford won't be creating its interiors from the flower itself, kenaf flowers grow on long bamboo-like stalks that can be converted into a variety of materials such as rope or paper." The plant is also widely used in the cosmetics industry.
The kenaf will be blended in a 50-50 mix of polypropylene, according to TriplePundit.com. This will supposedly reduce the door component's weight by 25 percent. Ford claims that the fiber will also counteract 300,000 pounds of oil-based resins each year in North America, reports the news source.
Although kenaf isn't a native plant, it has been adapted to grow in the Southern portion of the U.S. as well as in California. TriplePundit.com reports that the crop matures in 150 days and doesn't require large amounts of pesticides like cotton crops do, which is another reason why the plant is a smart choice for Ford.
According to the news source, the 2013 Escape will also feature soy foam, recycled plastic bottles and other post consumer materials in elements of the interior. When it comes down to it, Ford expects to be able to recycle 85 percent of the vehicle when it reaches the end of the road.
The Chicago Tribune points out that the Escape won't be the first vehicle made out of green materials to hit the market. For example, Land Rover's Range Rover Evoque is made from 35.2 pounds of recycled plastic, which translates into about 1,000 plastic bottles.