Toyota to Use 'Ecological Plastics' in Vehicles

Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM) plans to increase use of plant-derived, carbon-neutral plastics in more vehicle models, starting with a new hybrid vehicle next year. 

The plastics, newly developed by Toyota, are being called "ecological plastic." They are to be used in scuff plates, headliners, seat cushions and other interior vehicle parts.

Within 2009, Toyota aims for Ecological Plastic to account for approximately 60% of the interior components in vehicles that feature it.

The company said there are two types of ecological plastic–that produced completely from plant-derived materials and that produced from a combination of plant- and petroleum-derived materials.

Because plants play a role in either type, Ecological Plastic is responsible for less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during a product’s lifecycle (from manufacture to disposal) than plastic made solely from petroleum, the company said.

Toyota became the first automaker in the world to use 100% plant-based plastics in production-vehicle interior parts when it launched the Japanese-market "Raum" in May 2003, featuring Ecological Plastic that used polylactic acid and other all-plant-based materials. 

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