Car company Ford is experimenting with the use of a composite made of olive tree waste and recycled plastic for car parts.

The region of Andalusia in Spain has the highest production of olive oil in the world. From this region, Ford sourced waste from olive trees, like branches, twigs and leaves that are left after pruning.

In the project, called COMPOlive, engineers at Ford’s European headquarters in Cologne, Germany, mixed 40 per cent olive tree waste fibres with 60 per cent recycled polypropylene plastic to created injection moulded auto parts.

Photos: Ford