This summer John Deere announced a partnership with Ford to create a “sustainable concept” Gator UTV, experimenting with various recycled materials in its design.
From the outset, the ‘green’ Gator was conceived as a one-off concept vehicle rather than a production vehicle, making it a testing ground for new ideas and processes.
“When the idea for the Sustainable Concept Gator arose, the aim was to look at different materials that could be used for possible incorporation into product lines to support our goals of greater use of sustainable materials,”
says Andy Greenlee, senior engineer. for sustainable solutions at John Deere.
Greenlee was one of six Deere employees on the team that worked with Ford to develop the Gator concept, which used components made from renewable, recycled and reusable materials such as soybeans, flax fiber, sugar cane, hemp fiber, bottles and even fishing nets.
The idea, Greenlee said, was to explore economically viable ways of using sustainable materials and turning them into machine components. And Deere wanted to work with a company that already had experience in this, so it decided to work with Ford on the project.
“Ford is a long-time leader in sustainable materials and has been integrating sustainable parts into its vehicles for decades – dating back to the days of Henry Ford experimenting with soybean oil in the 1930s,” .
says Greenlee
But the cost of the Sustainable Gator had to be kept down, given that it would be a one-off project.
“It was difficult because we had to work within our current system of production tools,” says Keith Shanter, senior materials engineer. “We weren’t going to invest in new tools for a product that wouldn’t go to market, but we did our best to find environmentally friendly materials that could be a suitable replacement.”
“Concept projects such as the Sustainable Concept Gator are extremely valuable to our sustainable innovation efforts,” says Jill Sanchez, Director of Sustainability. “The Sustainable Concept Gator has provided us with key insights. It shows how innovative thinking and innovative partnerships provide invaluable insights into how we can apply sustainable use of materials in the future.”
Although Deere notes that many of the materials being considered for the project will not find widespread use in the near future, one of them is already in production.
“One component of this project, which is being manufactured in Gators today, is defrost louvers made from recycled tyres,” .
As all manufacturers continue to struggle to obtain materials, components and even adequate labour in the current global market, adopting new and more sustainable production methods in manufacturing may eventually become a necessity. Projects such as Sustainable Alligator may become increasingly important so that manufacturers can keep up with the times.
“Getting the opportunity to look at things that are coming in the future and focus on what we need to develop to add value for our customers and reduce our impact on the environment has been a great experience,”
says Greenlee.
Concept car designed to explore the use of renewable materials
On its website, the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) says that an increasing number of companies are turning their attention to “sustainable” production methods, and suggests that there is a strong business case for achieving this. Among the potential benefits is the ability to meet any future – and possibly more stringent – environmental regulations sooner rather than later. Another growing trend among consumers who are willing to pay for eco-friendly products.
In Canada, a University of Toronto study published in July shows that Canadians are also generally concerned about the environment, and they are increasingly willing to spend their money on products that have been produced in an environmentally friendly way.