Wood is one of our most versatile natural materials. We use it for
everything from paper, packaging and furniture to houses — and wood-based
textiles such as lyocell and modal are more sustainable than fossil
fuel-based materials such as polyester. Lenzing,
an industry leader in textiles, makes its own brand of lyocell, called
Tencel™, which is commonly used in apparel and home textiles, for hygiene
products such as baby wipes, and industrial products including netted packaging.
Now, through a new partnership with Swiss automaker
Rinspeed, Tencel is expanding into auto
upholstery — and changing what it feels like to sit on wood.
According to the Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, approximately 86
percent of a vehicle’s material content — including steel,
aluminum,
rubber,
plastics,
coolant, motor oil,
batteries,
etc — is already recycled, reused or used for energy recovery. Interior textile
components such as car seat fabrics, carpets, safety belts and air bags only
amount to roughly 30 kg, or 2 percent of the total weight of a car[1], but
across the industry, that still adds up — which is why it’s worth exploring
circular options for these materials, as well.
We caught up with Robert van de Kerkhof, Chief Commercial Officer at
the Lenzing Group, to learn more about the benefits of biodegradable automotive fabrics.
Why were automotive fibers a compelling business opportunity for Lenzing?
Robert van de Kerkhof: Automotive interior fibers have been on our radar for
some time, and as part of our vision to pioneer a new industry standard for
sustainable fibers across the textile landscape, we believe them to be a natural
extension of our brand.
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We recognized the need for the automobile industry to become more
environmentally conscious. Whilst we have seen exciting growth in electric
vehicle
technology
from both startups and legacy manufacturers alike, which aim to reduce the
industry’s carbon emissions, these vehicles’ interiors have yet to witness the
same renaissance. LENZING Lyocell and Modal fibers will offer superior comfort,
quality and reliability to consumers, and promise unparalleled sustainability
for our automotive partners. Materials such as polyester, nylon and leather have
already begun to fall out of favor with consumers, and manufacturers are now
offering sustainable alternatives in some of their vehicles as a result.
In 2018, we launched LENZING™, our specialty brand of fibers which are
specialized for smart industrial solutions. Made of wood, LENZING fibers are
sustainably sourced, produced via eco-responsible production processes, and
certified as compostable and biodegradable. A specialized offering, LENZING
for Automotive Interiors develops upon our goal to foster ways to reduce
environmental impact of the automotive industry with LENZING Lyocell and Modal
fibers, which are enabled by REFIBRA™
technology — which integrates pre-consumer,
upcycled cotton scraps with wood pulp sourced from renewable forests to produce
virgin LENZING Lyocell fibers through closed-loop production processes — and
Eco Color technology. Dope-dyed
LENZING Modal fibers, enabled by Eco Color technology, features long-lasting
color-fastness and can save up to 50 percent of energy and water, as well as 60
percent reduction in carbon footprint during dyeing process. With such
offerings, we hope to set a benchmark for sustainable automotive interiors and
encourage positive change across the industry.
The results of the Lenzing-Rinspeed collaboration, on display at the recent Geneva Motor Show | Image credit: Auto Design magazine
As customers across the board continue to demand more sustainable alternatives
to various types of textiles commonly found in everyday life, we see
environmentally friendly automotive interiors as a great growth opportunity in
the coming years, and a powerful way to further reduce the automotive industry’s
impact on the environment.
How did this collaboration with Rinspeed come about?
RvdK: Few automotive brands are as synonymous with forward-thinking concepts
as Rinspeed, which envisions and encapsulates the industry’s future. Their 2018
Snap concept, for
example, aimed to tackle tomorrow’s mobility problems in a sustainable way,
thereby reimagining our relationship with the car. When Rinspeed were looking to
enhance the environmental sustainability of the Snap’s little sister, the
Microsnap, we welcomed the opportunity to work with such an iconic Swiss
designer.
With sustainability as a core focus, the collaboration felt very organic. We
both share a vision to revolutionize the automotive industry and are proud to
have the resources available to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to
reduce the industry’s environmental impact. Our commitment to the circular
economy complemented Rinspeed’s devotion to an incredibly sustainable vehicle.
We also believe that environmental and social responsibility should never come
at the price of comfort. LENZING’s Lyocell and Modal fibers that were provided
for the Microsnap elevate the passenger experience with remarkable softness
and moisture-management capabilities to support the body’s natural thermal
regulation. We understand that automotive interiors must withstand increased
levels of durability over other textile applications, and our fibers deliver on
this. Durability will also mean less textile use in the long run.
As a company committed to safeguarding our planet’s resources for future
generations, LENZING is always excited to work with brands who experiment with
unique concepts, work to advance innovation, and decrease the industry’s burden
on the environment. Manufacturers such as Rinspeed are setting the standard for
the future car, and we are excited to see what is to come. We challenged one
another for the better throughout the collaboration, and are both extremely
proud of the outcome. We hope our partnership will raise awareness surrounding
the adoption of botanic and biodegradable materials, and their benefits for both
the industry and the customer.
What more can you tell us about the benefits of these materials?
RvdK: Automobile manufacturing is inherently complex. It involves thousands
of parts, materials and chemical substances; to date, the industry is still
struggling to define sustainability. Nonetheless, the majority of components in
car manufacturing are not only sustainable, but also contribute to circularity
of the industry. For instance, a large part could be recycled materials like
underbody covers made of recycled rubber, body frames made of recycled aluminum
and wheel liners made of recycled plastic bottles. [While] there are also
bio-based sustainable materials like interior padding and sound insulation made
of recycled cotton, car seat fabrics and carpets made of LENZING for Automotive
Interiors fibers, and cushions and headrests made of soy-based polyurethane foam
— but the ratio of bio-based or natural materials is still very low.
Biodegradable in weeks, such botanic fibers enhance bio-based circularity in the
automotive interiors segment, ensuring a greener automotive industry.
As automobile manufacturers and equipment manufacturers continue to lead the
evolution of the automotive industry towards a greener future, it is important
to not only think about circularity, but also usage of more biodegradable
materials. We look forward to working closely with various industry players to
contribute to the greening of the automotive industry in the long run.
[1]: Source: Textiles for Industrial Applications (2014) R. Senthil Kumar
fiber2fashion.com
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published May 6, 2019 11am EDT / 8am PDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST