Carol Kordich, lead designer, global sustainability materials strategy development for Ford, Dearborn, Michigan, accepted the Society of Plastics Engineers’ (SPE’s) Automotive Innovation Award in the Environmental category on behalf of Ford Motor Co. in mid-November. 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, Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2012 to bring environmentally responsible, high-performance Repreve fabric to its vehicles. Ford uses Repreve fabric in five of its vehicles—the new F-150, Explorer, Edge, Focus Electric and Fusion. 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, according to the company. Ford says it is the only automaker to use Repreve.

“When I discovered this material, I knew it could make a global environmental impact,” says 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 Bethel, Connecticut-based 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.