Two big multinational companies such as Ford Motor and McDonald’s, specialized in completely different sectors, have teamed up to launch an innovative project of circular economy, going to use the scraps of one with the aim of creating a circular material used by the other.
The millions of coffees delivered by McDonald’s each year produce a waste, the peel of the coffee bean that during the roasting process naturally separates from the bean. The two companies decided to use this waste material and exploit its properties to give it new features.
By heating the skin to high temperatures, mixing it with plastic and other additives, it is converted into pellets with the possibility of taking various forms.
The resulting circular material has proved to be optimal as a structural component of Ford vehicles, for example as a headlamp housing or other internal parts, the production of which results in a reduction in energy consumption of 25% during the molding process, a lightening in terms of weight of 20% despite being very resistant and better thermal properties than the material previously used.
Ford as a sustainability strategy for the coming years is enriching its material capital by increasing the number of sustainable materials, trying to introduce in its vehicles components made of recycled plastics, while McDonald’s has set a target for 2025 to use materials from renewable sources, recycled or certified for its packaging.
Both companies will continue to collaborate in R&D activities to explore new ways of recycling waste or scrap to minimize waste.

Source and image: media.ford.com

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