In an attempt to make the interior of its cars more environmentally friendly, Ford Motor Company plans to start using seats made with soy-based foam, the automaker said Thursday.
The first soy seats will appear in 2008 models of Ford's popular muscle car, the Mustang.
“Soy is a very green, renewable resource,” Debbie Mielewsk, technical leader for Ford's materials research and advanced engineering department, said in a statement.
“Using soy-based foam gives us the opportunity to conserve natural resources and reduce our environmental footprint.”
Most vehicle seats are made with an average of 13 kilograms (30 pounds) of petroleum-based polyol foam.
Soy-based form has up to 24 percent renewable content, takes less energy to produce and cuts carbon dioxide emissions, the automaker said.
The seats will be produced by auto supplier Lear Corp, which was the first company to make seats with fully recyclable materials.
“Using renewable resources is an important means to supplying automotive products that improve environmental impact,” said Ray Scott, senior vice president and president of Lear's Seating Systems Division. “This also helps in reducing the amount of pollution in the production of materials for automotive use.”
