The two companies today unveiled a Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid vehicle with Coca-Cola PlantBottle Technology interior fabric surfaces covering seat cushions, seat backs, head restraints, door panel inserts and headliners. The research vehicle marks the first time PlantBottle Technology is applied beyond packaging, and affirms a joint commitment by two global consumer icons to develop innovative new products produced from renewable materials.

The Ford Fusion Energi research vehicle will be on display later this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The idea behind the vehicle was launched last year when Ford and Coca-Cola research teams came together to explore innovation opportunities in more sustainable products. Both companies use PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a durable, lightweight plastic in a variety of products including plastic bottles, fabrics and carpets. This provided a natural opportunity to bring together both recyclable and renewable technologies.

Since The Coca-Cola Company introduced PlantBottle Technology to the market in 2009 as the first-ever recyclable PET plastic bottle made partially from plants, more than 18 billion PlantBottle packages have been distributed in 28 countries resulting in more than 400,000 barrels of oil saved. If PlantBottle interior fabrics were migrated across the majority of US Ford models, it would displace nearly 4 million pounds of petroleum-derived materials, as well as save the equivalent of 295,000 gallons of gasoline and 6,000 barrels of oil.

This collaboration with Ford demonstrates that PlantBottle Technology can be applied anywhere PET plastic is traditionally used, but with a lighter footprint on the planet. We are pleased to share this technology with Ford, and look forward to continuing to expand the application of PlantBottle Technology.

—Scott Vitters, general manager, PlantBottle packaging platform, The Coca-Cola Company

The PlantBottle-Fusion Energi initiative is also encouraged by the World Wildlife Fund, which advises companies to look for alternatives to fossil fuels.

PlantBottle Technology material integration builds on the current 2014 Ford Fusion’s environmental innovations that showcase a variety of more sustainable materials throughout the car, including:

• Sound-absorbing denim material equivalent to more than two average-sized pairs of blue jeans in the car’s carpet liner;

• Material equivalent to 38.9 clear-plastic 16-ounce recycled bottles in select cloth-seat Fusion models;

• About 31,250 soybeans in the foam found in Fusion seat cushions. Today, Ford uses soy foam in every vehicle built in North America. Since its first application in 2007, the use of soy foam by Ford has reduced petroleum production by more than 5 million pounds and carbon dioxide emissions by 20 million pounds annually.