Renault cuts emissions by recycled-plastic fabric 

Auto giant Groupe Renault has co-developed a patented textile produced exclusively from recycled waste safety belts, textile scraps and post-consumer PET plastic bottles.
 
The new material was developed as part of a Renault initiative called “àfiler” (to thread), in partnership with Filatures du Parc, a French spinning mill; and automotive seal seat? supplier Adient Fabrics.
 
In a 14 Nov statement, Renault said the material now covers the interior of the New Renault Zoe, in Zen and Intens finishes.
 
Having been shown to successfully meet the requirements for comfort, cleaning, UV resistance and durability, some 8 m² of the new textile is used for the manufacture of seat covers, dashboard coverings, gear lever brackets and door fittings in the new electric city car model. 
 
Renault claims that the supply and short loop manufacturing of the recycled carded yarn does not involve any chemical or thermal transformation and that it reduces associated CO2 emissions by more than 60% compared to the previous Zoe fabric from a standard manufacturing process. 
 
“We are demonstrating that it is possible to implement circular and competitive development models focused on resources, while acquiring a valuable competitive advantage at a time when the availability and cost of raw materials are becoming a real strategic issue,” said Jean-Philippe Hermine, director of environmental strategy & planning for Groupe Renault.
 
The project, according to the Renault official, is part of the French group's commitment to reduce the environmental impacts of each vehicle throughout its life cycle and to reduce its global carbon footprint by 25% in 2022 compared to the 2010 baseline.
 
The development of such fabrics is ‘undeniably the future of Adient’s business’, according to Mathias Daynie, director of the Adient Fabrics plant in Laroque d'Olmes in France.
 
“The prospects are very important both in the automotive industry and in other sectors of activity that will certainly follow this approach from an environmental, ethical and economic point of view,” he noted.
 
In addition to its traditional or eco-designed fabrics for the automotive industry, Adient’s Laroque d'Olmes site is studying other innovative textile solutions that could open up new markets, Daynie added.