AKRON, OH—Goodyear researchers have found that using soybean oil in tires can potentially increase tread life by 10 percent and reduce the tiremaker’s use of petroleum by up to 7 million gallons each year.

DEARBORN, MI—Drivers of the Ford Escape may be surprised to find out there is a plant inside the door. As part of its overall effort to make vehicles more sustainable, Ford is making the vehicle’s door bolster from the fibers of the kenaf plant.

Assemblers are ready for a manufacturing renaissance.

AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico—Nissan’s automotive assembly plant here is powered by natural gas from a nearby landfill.

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO—SwingGreen Inc., a manufacturer of heat-recovery systems, has opened a new assembly plant here.

LAFAYETTE, IN—Subaru’s assembly plant here has earned ISO 50001 certification for energy efficiency.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Earthcare Energy has begun hiring workers for its new assembly plant here. The company makes turbines that capture the energy contained in pressurized natural gas.

NORTHBROOK, IL—Underwriters Laboratories has launched a free Web-based tool to help manufacturers assess their corporate sustainability efforts.

NEWARK, DE—Bloom Energy has begun overhauling the old Chrysler assembly plant here. When finished, the new facility will mass-produce fuel cells and employ some 1,500.

WATERLOO, WI—One year after piloting the bike industry’s first carbon fiber recycling program, Trek Bicycle has recovered more than 31,750 kilograms of material from its manufacturing facility here.