Ford on Tuesday became the first vehicle company to produce car parts from sustainable materials, in this case 100% recycled ocean plastic. The newly launched Ford Bronco Sport features the first sets of wiring harness clips (the set of cables required for a particular piece of equipment or transmission service) made from discarded plastic fishing net wire. It is a small but important part!

Invisible to vehicle occupants, the Bronco Sport's cable clips, which weigh about five grams, attach to the sides of the Bronco Sport's second row seats and guide the wires that feed the side curtain airbags. The durability of the matter is undeniable.

Recycled plastics provide a durable, low-cost material, comparable to petroleum-based plastics, with 10% cost savings and requiring less energy to produce

The strength and durability of the nylon material is equal to that of previously used petroleum-based parts, but at a cost savings of 10% and requiring less energy to produce. The small parts represent a great first step in the company's plans to produce other recycled ocean plastic parts in other models.

The material is collected by workers in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, promoting healthier marine life, reducing landfill waste, and providing jobs.

"This is another example of Ford leading the sustainability mission," said Jim Buczkowski, vice president of research and Henry Ford technical fellow. "It's a great example of the circular economy, and while these clips are small, they are an important first step in our explorations to use recycled ocean plastics for additional parts in the future."

For more than two decades, Ford has used recycled plastics not collected from the oceans to produce various car parts. Most recently, the automaker used recycled water bottles to produce lightweight, aerodynamic, noise-reducing underbody shields in the 2020 Ford Escape.