Ford and Heinz are collaborating to create sustainable auto parts using a certain red fruit vital to ketchup production.
Announcing the partnership on Tuesday, Ford and Heinz said that tomato fibers could potentially be used to develop materials for vehicle manufacturing, Edmunds.com reported. Ford is looking for sustainable materials, while Heinz is hoping to find a use for the peels, stems and seeds from the 2 million tons of tomatoes it processes each year.
Some possible examples of tomato fiber-based components are wiring brackets, coin holders or other parts, which could be made from dried tomato skins.
"We are exploring whether this food processing by-product makes sense for an automotive application," said Ellen Lee, plastics research technical specialist for Ford, in a statement quoted by Edmunds. "Our goal is to develop a strong, lightweight material that meets our vehicle requirements, while at the same time reducing our overall environmental impact."
Ford, Heinz, Coca-Cola, Nike and Procter & Gamble began collaborating about two years ago with the goal of developing replacement materials for plastics. The companies hope to switch out their plastic use for completely plant-based composite materials.
Thus far, "the technology has been validated," said Vidhu Nagpal, associate director of packaging research and development for Heinz, as quoted by Edmunds. "Although we are in the very early stages of research, and many questions remain, we are excited about the possibilities this could produce for both Heinz and Ford."
The company alliance has built on Coca-Cola's innovations in soda bottle technology. Coca-Cola has been implementing plant-based materials into bottles to reduce their effect on the environment. The technology spread to Heinz and Proctor & Gamble, while plant-based components also made their way into Nike shoes.
Car parts made from tomato fibers shouldn't be too much of a leap. During vehicle production, Ford has already been using "cellulose fiber-reinforced console components, rice hull-filled electrical cowl brackets, coconut-based composite parts, recycled cotton material for carpeting and seat fabrics and soy-foam seat cushions and head restraints," according to Edmunds.
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