Recycle, Repair, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Rethink
While leather was once considered high quality, criticism of this material is growing louder and louder. It is estimated that the hides and skins of over a billion animals are used for leather production every year. Not to mention the CO2 emissions from global industrial animal breeding, which, at almost 10 per cent, is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. According to the Welfare Quality Network, 83 per cent of Swedish women state that animal welfare is becoming increasingly important to them. The trend is clear and is spurring on the materials revolution. Also at Volvo: new experimental materials, but also original, rediscovered natural materials will shape the new design awareness.
Trend reports speak of a new design consciousness that ensures that future products across all categories are ethical, sustainable and regenerative. The future of premium and luxury will revolve around the fundamental R principles: Recycle, Repair, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Rethink. In the next five years, the four pillars of ‘Whole System Thinking’, ‘Trust Fatigue’, ‘Nature Renaissance’ and ‘Luxtainability Rising’ will become so important that they will become the standard.
Volvo Cars already offers leather-free interiors – and in the future, all of its models will. The new, sustainably produced premium materials have been manufactured without animal testing and are the result of years of research. The textile Nordico, developed by Volvo, comes from natural, bio-based, recycled sources. It is made from biomaterials from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland, recycled corks from the wine industry and recycled PET bottles.
The alternative materials are as diverse as their applications. Volvo Cars is researching a wide range of materials, from experimental innovations to recycled raw materials and original products such as flax and wool. Swedish wool in particular offers significant opportunities as a raw material. Around 1,200 tonnes of wool are produced in Sweden every year, but only 37 per cent of this is used. The entire ecosystem behind the production of a raw material plays an important role. It must be produced both ethically and sustainably, using resources sparingly, and it must be durable and reusable. In short, it must be a closed, transparent product cycle. A consistent circular economy could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 39 per cent.
For Vanessa Butani, Head of Global Sustainability at Volvo, it’s about everything: ‘In the future, it’s about taking responsibility for doing the right thing. After all, our approach to safety is not just about the car – it’s a much bigger picture.’ According to the Vogue Business Index, a brand’s environmental policy has become one of the most important factors in the decision to buy a premium product. Two-thirds of consumers worldwide support the desire for more CO2 transparency.
radical: In the past, the chauffeur of luxury cars (outside) sat on leather – and the passengers in the back seat on the finest fabrics, made of the finest wool. At some point, that changed, and leather became a luxury product. Can you reverse this way of thinking?
Vanessa Butani: Absolutely, as you said, what is considered a luxury can change over time. I also see our task as being innovative and finding materials and solutions that are both sustainable and meet and even exceed our customers’ high expectations.
radical: If you break it down to the manufacturing process, materials like ‘Nordico’ are polyester compounds, so they are plastic. Is that really sustainable? You are also welcome to give us a few figures.
Butani: Nordico has one of the lowest environmental footprints of any surfacing material. This is because Nordico is made partly from bio-based materials, and therefore has less impact on key areas such as climate, land use and water use. For example, Nordico’s carbon footprint is about 27 per cent lower than that of a conventional fossil fuel-based vinyl from the same company. The reduction is due to the use of recycled PET backing material instead of primary PET and the use of wood waste as a raw material. When we look at materials in our cars, we take a holistic perspective. In addition to sustainability, we conduct rigorous durability and performance testing on all our materials.
radical: Exactly, sustainability also consists, among other things, of a long lifespan. In the laboratory, you can expose materials like ‘Nordico’ to extreme conditions. Do you already have any experience in this regard?
Butani: All the materials we use in our cars undergo rigorous testing, and we work with our suppliers to develop materials that meet our standards. We measure all of our materials against our standards for durability, and they are designed to last the life of the car.
radical: The research is many years ahead of reality. What interesting materials are coming next?
Butani: The future is exciting, but we need all the pieces of the puzzle before we release details. We are investigating future materials for automotive interiors and upholstery, focusing on durability, low sustainability impact and improved recycling rates. Our research extends to various areas outside the automotive industry to develop innovations and provide our customers with real added value, while aligning ourselves with the Volvo Cars brand. The better we understand the implications, the more we see opportunities to explore different materials for different applications.
radical: ‘Patina’ is a beautiful word that makes classic car owners smile in particular – will it also occur with these modern materials?
Butani: I think our cars age beautifully, but it is also important that the materials in our cars are durable and maintain their performance. At Volvo Cars, we love the concept of design, and the uniqueness of Scandinavian design is reflected in all the components of our cars.
radical: How well do these new materials recycle? Are they reused by Volvo?
Butani: The circular economy is very much part of the way we design and develop our cars. There are recycling technologies for all types of interior materials. For example, for a polymer like polyester or PVC, we can use thermoplastic recycling so that it can be used as a new raw material, and leather can be ground and moulded into various types of functional applications. We continue to work to increase the amount of recycled materials, and the amount of recycled plastics used in current and future models is increasing. In our EX30, we use an average of 17 per cent recycled plastics, and certain padding contains a significantly higher percentage of recycled materials.
This is an article from the Volvo supplement in our print edition, radical #2. You can find the table of contents here.
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