Bio-Plastics Growing In Popularity In The US [VIDEO]

That plastic in your car, in your soda bottles and on your shoes are likely no longer petroleum based.  Several major companies in the United States are switching the main ingredient that will ultimately help the Earth and your wallet.

With crude oil prices higher than ever, many manufacturers are trying to abandon oil from their operations.  Ford Motor Company is one that's using soybean foam in its upholstery and other items in the vehicle's interior.  Coca-Cola is using soybeans and wheat straw in their bottles and other companies are quickly jumping on the green technology bandwagon.

Angela Harris is Bio Materials Research Engineer at Ford Motor Company.  She says there are so many reasons to switch.  She explains "by cutting out the oil, we reduce our dependence on foreign oil, while helping the environment.  There's also significant savings in the financial department."

Believe it or not, some of the technology is far from new, particularly the soybeans at Ford.  According to Harris "the idea to use those beans date back to Henry Ford who, in the 1930s, would actually have the soybeans grown on the premises."

Other companies switching over include Nike and Heinz.  Because they are not competing with Ford, they find a great partnership to develop new and cost effective technologies.

Harris adds "breaking our petroleum addiction won't be easy. But the more pain we feel at the pump, the more people and companies will be willing to adapt and see whatelse is out there."

Since using soybean based cushions in all of their vehicles, ford eliminated an estimated 5-million pounds of petroleum a year.