rethink sustainability
The luxury car brands leading the way on more sustainable interiors
The journey towards greener transport may have become synonymous with electric vehicles (EVs), but a wider definition is emerging. It’s not just what comes out of cars that impacts the environment, but what goes into them too. Interiors matter.
Leather is being left behind by more and more luxury automotive brands as they pursue net-zero goals and adapt to shifting consumer preferences. Some carmakers are now creating their own vegan leathers. Bamboo, eucalyptus and even grape skins are also being explored as alternative materials with a far lower environmental footprint. “Sustainability is luxury,” according to Anders Kärrberg, Head of Global Sustainability at Volvo Cars.1 It is “elevated luxury”, according to Rolls-Royce Design Director Anders Warming.2
The sustainable materials transforming car interiors
BMW has been a driving force in interiors innovations. Cactus leather is just one of the materials it is incorporating with the help of a series of start-ups.3 The version it uses is known as Deserttex. Production of Deserttex creates no wastewater, because unlike with traditional cowhide there is no tanning process involving chemicals, BMW says. Cacti also have another climate advantage over cattle – nurturing them does not lead to methane emissions. The material, meanwhile, remains soft and springy, as well as durable. The winner of a Green Product Award4, it’s also being used by Mercedes-Benz and on luxury yachts.5
Another plant-based material finding its way into BMWs is Mirum6, a completely customisable creation that can be made to mimic a range of traditional textiles. Fully recyclable, it is part of BMW’s plans to reduce the carbon footprint of its cars. Vehicle production is the source of 90% of its Scope 1 and 2 emissions7 – those a company makes directly through its operations and those it makes indirectly through purchases of energy, respectively. Using more sustainable materials in its interiors can help BMW cut these emissions by 80% per vehicle by 20308, it believes.
Seats are not the only areas where recycled materials are coming in at BMW. Floor mats are being made using former fishing nets, roof upholstery too, both thanks to a recycled material called Econyl9 that has also found a home in fashion collections by Prada10 and Gucci11. The wide range of colours in the nets and the other nylon waste that make up Econyl are appreciated by designers. Its capacity for infinite recycling also means it fits into the circular economy principles in what BMW calls its iVision.12 This involves a “Re:Think, Re:Duce, Re:Use, Re:Cycle” approach that ultimately aims to use as few materials as possible.
At Lombard Odier, we believe creating a circular economy that promotes the reduction, repair, re-use, re-distribution and recycling of products is essential to help the world transition to a better future. This shift to what we call the CLIC® economy – one that is Circular, Lean, Inclusive and Clean – will affect every single sector. It will thrive on efficiency and innovation to boost growth, and cumulatively create a USD 5.5 trillion investment opportunity.
Sustainable interiors at Audi and Land Rover
Audi and Land Rover are also accelerating their exploration of sustainable materials. For Audi, this includes the use of Dinamica13, a microfibre similar to suede in appearance and texture, but obtained through an innovative form of polyester recycling14. The seats of Audi’s S line range are upholstered with Dinamica, as are those inside the Land Rover Defender V815. Dinamica is made in Italy by a company named Miko and can be perforated, printed upon – or even completely personalised.16
The fashion industry has shown the way forward for some car brands when it comes to using recyclable materials; BMW is among those to have adopted 3D weaving techniques17 more commonly used in clothing18. But there are also lessons being learned from the beauty industry, which has long used eucalyptus in its treatments. The seats in Land Rover’s Range Rover Evoque are fitted out with eucalyptus blends. The tree’s fibres offer an alternative to cotton19, and like with bamboo, its quick growth rate makes it easier to manage plantations sustainably20. The “Eucalyptus Melange” is lightweight and durable, and is just part of the 32 kilograms of natural and recycled materials embedded in the Evoque21. One of the others is Kvadrat, a fusion of wool, suede cloth and recycled plastic bottles that has also been used in Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum22 and a range of Bang & Olufsen speakers23.
Switching large volumes of traditional materials for sustainable materials offers another advantage. By making the car lighter, this can improve performance and fuel efficiency.24 This is a particularly important issue for electric cars, which are on average heavier than their petrol equivalents25 because of their large battery packs. Making them lighter means they won’t need to be charged as often. Premium electric car brand Polestar has reduced the weight of its cars by using less plastic in its dashboards and consoles. A flax-based alternative is installed instead, made by Swiss firm Bcomp.26 Flax is an eco-friendly crop with limited irrigation needs, meaning it is better for preserving soil quality than other crops.27
Other developments in sustainable car interiors
Veneers and dashboards are being steered in a different direction by Bentley. Its EXP 100 GT turns away from freshly felled trees and instead uses centuries-old woods recovered from bogs. Any cracks in the fossilised oak are filled with recycled copper – an approach inspired by the Japanese pottery practice kintsugi.28
Rolls-Royce is also trying to cut down fewer trees. One way it is doing so is by recycling – including by taking wood scraps from the factory floor and layering them together to create a new material, “obsidian ayous”29. Described by Design Director Anders Warming as aesthetically inspiring30, it is now decking out the Phantom Series II. Rolls-Royce, says it already recycles 60% of its waste31 and aims to raise this to 68% by 202532.
The brand has also brought bamboo into its Phantom Platino. Combined with silk, it is woven into an embroidered upholstery that echoes interior design principles.33 Bentley’s take on more sustainable seating involves a vegan material called Vegea, made using grape skins, seeds and stalks gathered as waste from wine-makers.34
The future of sustainable luxury car interiors
Mercedes-Benz aims for its new cars to be “net-carbon neutral” across their full value chain and life cycle by 2039. It says materials made from recycled household waste along with other plastic substitutes will help it get there.35 As well as using Deserttex, as mentioned above, materials made with recycled plastic bottles, fishing nets and carpets are appearing in its upholstery and floor coverings. The Mercedes-Benz research team has been tasked with exploring other options for innovative materials that could be used on the inside and outside of its cars. Progress so far includes door handles made with scrap tyres and cable ducts derived from household waste.36
“I am convinced that long-term success can only be achieved through doing business sustainably on an enduring basis,” says Renata Jungo Brüngger, who is responsible for sustainability at the Mercedes-Benz Group. “The core of our business has always been compelling products. We want to build the world’s most desirable cars. Sustainability is central to that.”37
Rising eco-consciousness among consumers is undoubtedly helping accelerate automotive brands’ journey towards less harmful materials. Surveys repeatedly show that people don’t just want sustainable products but are actually prepared to pay more for them – an average of 12% more, according to Bain & Company.38 Car brands have vied to attract buyers with their exterior designs and engine performance in the past; in the future, the environmental impact of their interiors seems set to become an increasingly important selling point.
1 Recycled car interiors are the new chic luxury (axios.com)
2 How bamboo and denim are becoming the 'new luxury' in automobiles - ABC News (go.com)
3 Vegan future. (bmwgroup.com)
4 DESSERTO |CACTUS VEGAN LEATHER | Green Product Award (gp-award.com)
5 Collaborations | DESERTTEX
6 About - Made With Mirum (naturalfiberwelding.com)
7 CO2 Reduction Initiatives by BMW Group
8 Over 200 million tonnes: BMW Group sets ambitious goal to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030
9 Sustainable materials in BMW interior design | BMW.com
10 Prada Re-Nylon (pradagroup.com)
11 Gucci Off The Grid – Gucci Equilibrium
12 OUR AMBITIOUS COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY: THE BMW i VISION CIRCULAR
13 Sustainability | Audi MediaCenter (audi-mediacenter.com)
14 Home - Dinamicamiko
15 THE POWER OF CHOICE: POTENT NEW DEFENDER V8 AND EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL EDITIONS JOIN THE RANGE | Land Rover Media Newsroom
16 Home - Dinamicamiko
17 Vegan future. (bmwgroup.com)
18 Unspun launches 3D weaving to reduce waste in fashion | Vogue Business
19 Material Guide: How Sustainable Is Eucalyptus Fabric? - Good On You
20 https://navigator-paper.com/en/blog/article/get-to-know-eucalyptus-better
21 Feel the Future with Eucalyptus | Land Rover Magazine
22 Kvadrat textiles in use around the world
23 Kvadrat and Bang & Olufsen: textiles for acoustic excellence
24 Sustainability in the automotive industry, importance of and impact on automobile interior – insights from an
empirical survey | International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility | Full Text (springeropen.com)
25 The weighty issue of electric cars [Part 1] (sustainabilitybynumbers.com)
26 Flax fibre composites | Polestar UK
27 European Flax: environmentally responsible | ALLIANCE (allianceflaxlinenhemp.eu)
28 Bentley Motors Website: World of Bentley: The Bentley Story: People and Expertise: Extraordinary Materials
29 PHANTOM SERIES II - IN DETAIL (rolls-roycemotorcars.com)
30 How bamboo and denim are becoming the 'new luxury' in automobiles - ABC News (go.com)
31 A Greener Goodwood (rolls-roycemotorcars.com)
32 UK Carbon Reduction plan (rolls-royce-smr.com)
33 (25) Phantom Platino: the return of fine textiles | LinkedIn
34 Bentley News 2019: EXP 100 GT – FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE LUXURY MOBILITY (bentleymedia.com)
35 Innovative materials for sustainable luxury | Mercedes-Benz Group > Responsibility > Sustainability > Resources
36 Innovative materials for sustainable luxury | Mercedes-Benz Group > Responsibility > Sustainability > Resources
37 Sustainability goes way beyond climate protection alone | Mercedes-Benz Group > Responsibility > Sustainability
38 Consumers say their environmental concerns are increasing due to extreme weather; study shows they’re willing to change behavior, pay 12% more for sustainable products | Bain & Company
Important information
This document is issued by Bank Lombard Odier & Co Ltd or an entity of the Group (hereinafter “Lombard Odier”). It is not intended for distribution, publication, or use in any jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, or use would be unlawful, nor is it aimed at any person or entity to whom it would be unlawful to address such a document. This document was not prepared by the Financial Research Department of Lombard Odier.
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