Recycled denim finds its way into new Ford Focus

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Buyers of the 2012 Ford Focus will receive two pairs of blue jeans in the deal. The jeans just won’t be wearable. They’ll be recycled and shredded into the car’s carpet backing and sound-absorption materials, saving 4 pounds of virgin cotton with each vehicle.

‘The good news is these jeans didn’t end up in a landfill, nor did we use the water, fertilizer and land to grow [new] cotton,’ said Carrie Majeske, product sustainability manager for Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich.

While the denim is post-industrial, rather than post-consumer, waste, i.e. it was never sold in stores or worn, it is being repurposed rather than scrapped. Specific denim manufacturers were not disclosed.

Already, Ford incorporates recycled soda bottles and milk jugs into plastics used in its cars, as well as post-consumer recycled carpeting that is turned into automotive parts.

‘We’re looking to use things that would otherwise be wasted,’ Majeske said. ‘One of our key goals is to use more recycled or renewable materials without compromising performance or durability.’

If production numbers for last year’s Focus are any indication, Ford will be saving more than 3.4 million pounds of denim from the landfill next year alone.

Perhaps the automaker will come up with a solution for even more fashion castoffs. If only jeggings could be recycled into stereo speakers.

-- Susan Carpenter