Community Updates

Ford Designer Carol Kordich Accepts SPE Automotive Innovation Award for Environmental Advances

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 12, 2015 – Carol Kordich, Ford lead designer, global sustainability

materials strategy development, accepted the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Automotive

Innovation Award in the Environmental category on behalf of Ford Motor Company on

Wednesday. The SPE® award recognized Kordich’s work to replace traditional seating fabric

with one that is made of 100 percent recycled material.

Under Kordich’s direction, Ford began working with Unifi in 2012 to bring environmentally

responsible, high-performance REPREVE fabric to Ford vehicles. Ford uses REPREVE in five

of its vehicles – the new F-150, Explorer, Edge, Focus Electric and Fusion – making it a globally

used material.

Published 9 years ago | About a 2 minute read

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 12, 2015 – Carol Kordich, Ford lead designer, global sustainability materials strategy development, accepted the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Automotive Innovation Award in the Environmental category on behalf of Ford Motor Company on Wednesday. The SPE® award recognized Kordich’s work to replace traditional seating fabric with one that is made of 100 percent recycled material.

Under Kordich’s direction, Ford began working with Unifi in 2012 to bring environmentally responsible, high-performance REPREVE fabric to Ford vehicles. Ford uses REPREVE in five of its vehicles – the new F-150, Explorer, Edge, Focus Electric and Fusion – making it a globally used material. Using REPREVE allows Ford to divert more than 11 million water bottles from landfills annually, while reducing crude oil and energy consumption and lowering carbon dioxide emissions. Ford is the only automaker to use REPREVE.

“When I discovered this material, I knew it could make a global environmental impact,” said Kordich, who competed with six other nominees for the environmental award. “Using REPREVE is the right thing to do at Ford and for the world as we all push to make more sustainable choices. Receiving SPE’s award is an honor since it validates that every choice we make can have a tremendous impact.”

Now in its 45th year, the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the automotive plastics industry. Founded in 1942, the mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide, and to educate industry, academia and the public about these advances. SPE’s Automotive Division is active in educating, promoting, recognizing and communicating technical accomplishments in all phases of plastics and plastics-based composite developments in the global transportation industry.

# # About Ford Motor Company

For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com. Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.

For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com. Contacts: John Cangany Ford Motor Company 313.317.7691 248.592.0765 [email protected] [email protected] Peggy Malnati Society of Plastics Engineers