Slugline for car interior5/17/2023 This year, Lenzing is taking more of a holistic approach to sustainable materials in the vehicle. ![]() The ‘MetroSnap’ model follows on from an initial concept that was revealed a year earlier, which featured seating upholstery made from TENCEL Lyocell fibres. In 2020, Lenzing solutions are also appearing as part of the newest Rinspeed concept vehicle. Rinspeed’s latest concept vehicle, Metrosnap The Range Rover Evoque also uses TENCEL T Lyocell fibres for its premium ‘Eucalyptus Melange’ interior trim. With renewed interest in sustainability around the world, its second stab at the market is proving significantly more successful the company has secured contracts with Tier 1 & 2 interiors and seating companies such as Adient and Tesca, which have both already added TENCEL T branded lyocell fibres into their programmes. Its initial foray into the automotive space began a decade ago, but uptake-and general interest from manufacturers-was fairly limited. It is not the first time Lenzing has made efforts to introduce sustainable textiles within new vehicles. “Our innovations have been in the market for quite a while, but interest was never that high in this space,” he explained, “Now it’s really picking up as the discussion around sustainability grows.” The products that Lenzing is introducing into the automotive space are not particularly new, he added, but that is more down to the fact that automotive has lagged behind other industries to a degree. “Consumers have really started to understand how much plastic is used in the textile industry, and what kind of negative footprint each individual leaves by using these plastic materials,” he told Automotive World. Bernard Philipp Alowonou, Vice President of Global Business Management New Business Areas at Lenzing, believes that this is changing. Automotive interiors, however, have never really been a focal point for sustainability. Such initiatives have helped to foster a change in purchasing habits across a range of industries. The impact to which plastic waste has on the environment has become a key focus for the European Commission, which in 2018 introduced a strategy to reform how plastic products are designed, made and recycled. One of the company’s solutions, REFIBRA technology, taps into the concept of circular economy and makes use of scrap material from the cotton industry. These wood-based materials are sustainably produced from renewable sources, meaning that once removed from the vehicle, those biodegradable textiles will not harm the environment and could even go on to serve as compost material. Having seen success in a range of industries-from hygiene products to sports, lifestyle and safety clothing-Austria-based fibre producer Lenzing is bringing its sustainable fibres into the automotive space. LENZING is taking steps to ensure interior textiles do not end up in landfill According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 16.9 tonnes of textiles were produced in the US in 2017, with just 15.2% recycled. ![]() It is prompting textile manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers and automakers to investigate alternatives to the likes of leather, cotton and plastic, which typically end up in landfill or, in many cases, rivers and oceans. ![]() Much interest has been placed on how that weight may impact driving performance, but there is also the question of where all that material goes once the car has reached the end of its usable life.Įfforts are being made to ensure that single-use, non-recyclable materials become a thing of the past. Virtually all of those will use textiles will have been produced with non-recyclable synthetic fibres. The textiles used to upholster a typical vehicle interior weigh around 30kg (65lbs), with seat covers alone accounting for more than 5kg.
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