Mazda Uses Recycled, Bio Plastics for Their Cars

As a global society, people have become more aware of their impact on the environment, and the need to create a sustainable future through developing products that contribute towards the reduction of emissions and materials that have an adverse effect on the environment. In response to this, Mazda has been at the forefront of plastic recycling for over three decades, and was the first automotive manufacturer to recycle bumpers from end-of-life cars.

Since 1992 Mazda has recycled approximately 1,280,000 bumpers from Japanese market cars alone, a quantity that if laid end-to-end would stretch from London to Moscow.

Mazda’s research into plastic recycling has been ongoing since the late 1980’s. Recognizing the environmental need to recycle plastic, Mazda was the first automotive manufacturer to recycle used bumpers in 1992, initially these bumpers were used to produce pens and plastic automotive parts that were unseen, such as under trays.

The problem with end-of-life vehicles was many of the bumpers were more than ten years old making it technically and financially difficult as they varied in terms of paint adhesive properties and composition of their plastic. One of the biggest barriers to recycling old bumpers was the inefficient paint removal process. By 2001 Mazda had improved the paint removal process sufficiently to allow the use of the plastic to reinforce new bumpers, and by 2007 had refined the process to remove 99.9 percent of the paint, leading the way to develop a process to use the recycled plastic in the manufacture of new bumpers.

As a result, by 2011 Mazda had developed their world-first recycling technology sufficiently to allow end-of-life bumpers to be converted into plastic resin which was of sufficient quality for use in new car bumpers, first used on the Mazda Biante minivan. Recycled plastic is now used extensively in all new Mazda cars.

In its first EV, the MX-30, Mazda took a step further. The upper section of the MX-30 door interior panel is trimmed in a reprocessed fabric made from recycled PET bottles. Development of a new method for integrated molding of textile and plastic fibers made it possible to create a material with a soft touch that can be processed easily.

But it’s not just plastic recycling where Mazda is leading the industry, Mazda has also developed an industry leading high-quality bio-plastic, first seen on the 2015 MX-5. The bio-based engineering plastic made from plant-derived materials, reduces the use of petroleum resources and carbon dioxide emissions. Waste plant material, such as wood shavings and plant material, is turned into ethanol which is then converted into ethylene and polypropylene. This process is carbon neutral and, unlike alternative materials made from soy or cornstarch and does not remove food resource. Bioplastics feature a higher quality finish than traditional painted plastics and can be used for both interior and exterior use. Aside from the MX-5, it’s now used on the CX-5, Mazda2, Mazda3, and CX-30.

In order to help preserve the planet’s resources it is the responsibility of businesses to provide products and services that benefit the earth and society and Mazda continues to be at the forefront of developing environmentally friendly and recycled plastics for future product, reducing the use of fossil fuels and emissions as part of its Sustainable Zoom Zoom 2030 plan. Launched in 2017, the plan embodies the corporate vision of brightening people’s lives through car ownership and offering cars that are sustainable with the earth and society to more people and is a road map for Mazda to develop technologies that will help resolve issues faced by the earth, society, and people.

Pollution from Tire Wear is 1,000 Times Worse Than Exhaust Emissions

Want to cut your carbon footprint? Consider using high-quality tires, or at least make sure they’re properly inflated. This conclusion comes from Emissions Analytics, the world’s leading independent specialist for the scientific measurement of real-world emissions.

In their study, they found that non-exhaust emissions generated by tire wear can be 1,000 times worse than what comes out of a car’s exhaust.

Harmful particle matter from tires—and also brakes—is a very serious and growing environmental problem, one that is being exacerbated by the increasing popularity of large, heavy vehicles such as SUVs, and growing demand for electric vehicles, which are heavier than standard cars because of their batteries.

What’s more, vehicle tire wear pollution is completely unregulated, unlike exhaust emissions which have been rapidly reduced by car makers thanks to the pressure placed on them by various governments. New cars now emit very little in the way of particulate matter but there is growing concern around ‘non-exhaust emissions’.

Non-exhaust emissions (NEE) are particles released into the air from brake wear, tire wear, road surface wear, and resuspension of road dust during on-road vehicle usage. No legislation is in place to limit or reduce NEE, but they cause a great deal of concern for air quality.

NEEs are currently believed to constitute the majority of primary particulate matter from road transport, 60 percent of PM2.5 and 73 percent of PM10.

To understand the scale of the problem, Emissions Analytics performed some initial tire wear testing. Using a popular family hatchback running on brand new, correctly inflated tires, they found that the car emitted 5.8 grams per kilometer of particles.

Compared with regulated exhaust emission limits of 4.5 milligrams per kilometer, the completely unregulated tire wear emission is higher by a factor of over 1,000. Emissions Analytics notes that this could be even higher if the vehicle had tires which were underinflated, or the road surfaces used for the test were rougher, or the tires used were from a budget range – all very recognizable scenarios in ‘real world’ motoring.

Four Toyota Mirais Partially Powered U2's Concert in Japan

For those lucky enough to watch U2 at their Tokyo show last month, they’ll be surprised to know that that the concert was partially powered by the hydrogen-fueled Toyota Mirai.

This little tidbit was revealed in an entry in U2’s Official Blog. There, U2 detailed that at their December 5 show in Tokyo, The Edge’s guitar, Adam Clayton’s bass, and the entire backline—guitar and bass amplifiers, audio effects, and system control all ran on clean hydrogen power. Four Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) were parked backstage, providing power from clean and renewable sources. Several Honda Power Exporter 9000s were used to convert the FCV’s direct current electricity to alternating current (AC) power.

U2 are the first international touring band to use hydrogen power at a show, and the second Tokyo gig was the first sold-out show to use this energy source to power the backline.

Using hydrogen power is the latest innovation in the band’s ongoing efforts to reduce and mitigate the environmental impact of global touring. These included the elimination of all single-use plastics, ethical and sustainably-sourced catering (including vegan and vegetarian offerings), and compost and recycling in the tour's kitchens as well as in its offices (including batteries, ink cartridges, and scrap metal); and a trash-to-art scheme where used guitar strings and drum heads, are collected and donated to partners who repurpose them into artwork. Additionally, used batteries are donated to local nonprofits.

Moreover during The Joshua Tree 2019 tour, environmental reporting and carbon emissions-tracking metrics were used to calculate the tour's overall environmental impact—including greenhouse gas emissions—and to offset the tour's carbon footprint.

On transportation-related emissions, for instance, the model number of every truck, bus, limo, and aircraft used throughout the tour in order to track meticulously the total mileage, which determines total CO2 emissions, which are then offset.

Source: U2.com

Volvo's T8 Twin Engine Line Results in Cleaner Air Inside and Out

Volvo prides itself as being designed around people, and with that, they have made it their mission to be environmentally responsible—a tough act for any carmaker.

With 22 percent of total global carbon dioxide emissions generated by the transport sector, Volvo is doing their part, utilizing renewable energy sources in 80 percent of their global production plants. Currently, they’ve reduced their total operational emissions by 25 percent per car in 2018, with a goal of cutting it by 40 percent per car in 2025, and be climate neutral by 2040.

Together with its plan to generate 50 percent of global sales from fully electric cars by 2025, Volvo is doing their part to reduce PM 2.5—the most harmful form of air pollution which can linger in the air and is able to penetrate into the lungs and bloodstream.

Volvo Cars Philippines took the first step recently by introducing the market’s first-ever premium Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in models underpinned by the Volvo Scalable Product Architecture: the XC60 (P 5,795,000), XC90 (P 7,995,000), and S90 (P 5,995,000).

With the T8 Twin Engine, these Volvo models can run on pure electric mode for up to 40 kilometers. And with the Volvo Wallbox—charging is as easy as charging a mobile phone. Furthermore, unlike pure EVs, a high-performance gasoline engine is present to get rid of any range anxiety.

Aside from cleaning the air outside, Volvo models come with technologies that make for a serene, healthy cabin experience. The CleanZone air purification system is considered as one of the industry’s most efficient at filtering out harmful particulates in the incoming air. The new carbon filter also neutralizes unwanted odors as well.

The S90, XC60, and XC90 T8 Twin Engine all invite people to enjoy the clean power of Volvo’s electrified cars—recharged for a better drive and the vision of a climate-neutral future. Not only do these vehicles contribute to alleviating the cause of air pollution, but they also help its occupants breathe a sigh of confidence because of its clean cabin innovations.

Future Fords Will Use Parts Made from Coffee Beans

Ford and McDonald’s will soon be giving vehicles a caffeine boost by using part of a familiar staple in the morning routine, coffee beans, in vehicle parts such as headlamp housing.

Every year, millions of pounds of coffee chaff, the dried skin of the bean, naturally comes off during the roasting process. Together, Ford and McDonald’s can provide an innovative new home to a significant portion of that material. The companies found that chaff can be converted into a durable material to reinforce certain vehicle parts. By heating the chaff to high temperatures under low oxygen, mixing it with plastic and other additives and turning it into pellets, the material can be formed into various shapes.

The chaff composite meets the quality specifications for parts like headlamp housings and other interior and under hood components. The resulting components will be about 20 percent lighter and require up to 25 percent less energy during the molding process. Heat properties of the chaff component are significantly better than the currently used material, according to Ford. This is the first time Ford has used coffee bean skins to convert into select vehicle parts.

McDonald’s is expected to direct a significant portion of its coffee chaff in North America to Ford to be incorporated into vehicle parts.

Ford is progressing toward a goal of using recycled and renewable plastics in vehicles globally, with an increasing range of sustainable materials.

Meanwhile, McDonald’s is on its way to sourcing 100 percent of its guest packaging from renewable, recycled or certified sources by 2025. In addition, McDonald’s is helping develop a recyclable and/or compostable cup through the NextGen Cup Consortium and Challenge. Both efforts are part of McDonald’s Scale for Good initiative, a global commitment to use its size and scale to drive meaningful change.

McDonald’s and Ford plan to continue exploring ways to collaboratively use waste as a resource, while furthering their sustainability goals.

Toyota Motor Philippines Has a Plan for All Those Hybrid Batteries

While most people focused on the shiny new hybrid electric vehicles on display at Toyota’s first-ever HEV Drive Expo, and how they can help reduce emissions and dependency on fossil fuels, there’s one thing that escaped most people, including Ms. Earth Philippines who was the guest of honor: what’s going to happen to all these batteries when it’s time to scrap these cars?

Granted Toyotas are built to last a lifetime, the fact of the matter is these traction batteries are wear-and-tear items. Though Toyota Motor Philippines is generous enough to offer an extended 5-year / 200,000-kilometer warranty, it’s still going to break down one day. So, what’s Toyota going to do then?

Well, tucked behind the glitzy displays is the answer: an End-of-Life plan for all those nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries.

Realizing that the increased demand for electric vehicles (hybrid or otherwise), possible shortage of raw materials, and the increase in hazardous waste, Toyota is going to take a three-prong approach which they officially call, “3R” or Rebuilt, Reuse, Recycle.

The first, Rebuilt, will soon have Toyota offering re-manufactured battery assemblies which will then be sold to dealers, and eventually, to customers. These assemblies will be significantly cheaper (just a third of the cost) than opting for brand-new ones, and should help keep battery electric vehicles running for a long time.

The second, Reuse, will have Toyota re-manufacturing the battery assemblies for use in other industries. These moderately deteriorated batteries, though not so useful as a power source for vehicles, are still useful as energy storage solutions for things like solar or wind farms.

Finally, with Recycle, Toyota will turnover the used battery assemblies where precious metals such as nickel and cobalt can then be reused in the manufacture of new vehicles. Of note: Toyota says NiMH batteries is more easily recyclable than its lithium-ion counterpart. The Philippines, like Thailand, turns over any used traction batteries to TTK Logistics (Thailand) Co., which can recycle up to 10,000 batteries a year. The precious metals extracted are then used by Toyota’s manufacturing plant in Thailand to produce new vehicles.

As Toyota moves to electrify their vehicles in Southeast Asia (the carmaker has pledged to electrify its entire line-up in Thailand in 2025), it’s great news that the carmaker is now putting plans in place to also consider the disposal and recycling of these potentially hazardous materials.

Here’s hoping that other carmakers who also plan to introduce their own electrified vehicles do the same.

Look: San Miguel Uses Old Plastic in Making Roads

San Miguel Corporation has taken a major step in the area of sustainability by laying the first road made of recycled plastics in the country in Southern Luzon.

Asphalt using plastics were laid on a 1,500-square meter pilot test site at a new logistics center in General Trias, Cavite. The test site was chosen as it will be used primarily as a marshalling area for trucks with heavy loads, including 18-wheelers, and heavy equipment.

SMC president Ramon S. Ang said: “What we want to achieve is to help address an important environmental issue, and that is plastic wastes. We want to create a sustainable use for waste plastics so that they don’t end up in landfills and our rivers and oceans.”

Some 900 kilos of plastic waste, equivalent to some 180,000 sachets and plastic bags, were used for the test site.

SMC’s technology partner, global materials science company Dow, said that recycled plastic waste acts as a binder together with bitumen, in the production of asphalt.

The company said that using recycled plastics in the production process can help make roads longer lasting and more durable compared to conventional asphalt.

Independent lab testing done on San Miguel’s recycled plastics road asphalt shows that it exceeds the standards of the Department of Public Works and Highways. The company said that pending further testing, it can build recycled plastics roads in its facilities as well as major infrastructure projects.

Last week, San Miguel also announced that it is adopting the use of biodegradable plastics for food and non-food products.

For this, the company is utilizing the biodegradable plastics developed by Philippine Bioresins Corporation that can be 64.65 percent degraded in 24 months as compared to non-biodegradable plastics (4.5 percent in 24 months).

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Industrial Technology Development Institute gave this innovation an Environmental Technology Verification certificate.

San Miguel has also discontinued its bottled water business a few years ago and embarked on the move to reduce group-wide non-product water use by 50 percent by 2025.