The Ford Motor Company, as part of its evolving commitment to make its products environmentally friendly over the entire life and operation of the vehicle, is conducting experiments with plastics that are both bio-based and biodegradable. The end goal is to produce interior parts that will essentially dissolve when their working lives have come to an end Speaking at the Ward’s Auto Interiors Show in June, the technical leader of the company’s materials research and advanced engineering department admitted the goal is both difficult and long-term one.

As quoted by Auto News, Deborah Mielewski said, “It’s the big project. Before I retire, I want to reach the point where we stop making automotive plastics that are thrown into the landfill and last forever.” Last year Ford began to implement a urethane foam blend based on soybeans first used in the Mustang and now present in half a dozen other models. While much of the media emphasis is on lower emissions and greater fuel efficiency, vehicles can continue to pollute the environment for decades as they slowly decay in junkyards and garbage dumps all over the world.