The world has seen multiple waves of innovation since the Industrial Revolution, from the so-called Steam Age to the Steel Age, Oil Age, Information Technology Age, and so on. The authors propose that we are entering a new wave of economic development in cleantech and sustainability, aimed at returning us to a low-carbon world. Ford Motor Company has been a leader throughout these innovation waves and continues to drive the path forward to the bioeconomy, albeit the company’s motivations for pursuing bio-based materials have evolved. This chapter details several key innovations and ongoing research at Ford in the development of bio-based materials,
including polyurethane foam derived from soybeans, wheat straw–reinforced polypropylene, and experiments with polylactic acid.