JLR: Recycling Seat Foam to Create Sustainable Vehicles
JLR has reached an industry first by using recycled seat foam as part of its strategy to recycle and reuse materials in vehicles.
JLR is working with industry partners Dow and Adient to produce the new seat form for its luxury vehicles, creating a closed-loop of recycled materials.
The JLR Circularity Lab, in Gaydon, England, aims to reduce emissions, eliminate waste and increase security of supply. It aims to start testing of the sustainable seat foam in 2025.
What is seat foam?
The seat foam is made of polyurethane, a polymer composed of organic units joined by carbamate links.
When polyurethane is in foam form, it becomes a semi-rigid material that can be used for insulation, soundproofing and even flotation in boats.
Although versatile, polyurethane foams are known to be challenging when it comes to recycling. They are designed for durability so often end up in landfill and can remain in the environment for several generations.
The recycled foam will be part of JLR’s new ‘circular seat’, estimated to slash the impact of CO₂ emissions by half.
Whilst maintaining high performance, the new seats will avoid more than 44kg of CO₂ per seat - the equivalent of charging almost three thousand smartphones.
Why collaborate?
In collaboration with Dow’s MobilityScience material innovations and global leader in automotive seating Adient, this is the first time closed-loop seat foam has been successfully used in automotive production.
Initial tests on front bumpers found the same quality and performance could be achieved using a reduced amount of polymers, saving 177,500 kg of CO₂ over a single model line, whilst also saving £560,000 (US$706,440) in cost.
This approach means JLR will be able to deliver lower carbon bumpers physically on new cars from 2025.
Jon Penrice, Mobility President at Dow, explains: "This collaboration highlights Dow's MobilityScience initiative to drive sustainable mobility through advanced material science. By leveraging our expertise and collaborating with Adient and JLR, we are developing technologies that support our net-zero carbon emissions and our circular and renewable solutions goals.
“Through Dow's RENUVA™ sustainability program, Dow addresses the growing demand for recycled materials by converting End of Life waste into new raw circular materials, helping our customers meet their recycled content targets. Through chemical and advanced recycling processes, this breakthrough depolymerisation closed-loop recycling solution meets the requirements and maintains the superior comfort and quality of JLR seats.”
JLR's sustainability efforts
This breakthrough is the result of ongoing research and testing at JLR’s Circularity Lab, aiming to reduce waste and boost the recyclability of its luxury vehicles.
Historically, vehicles have been designed with limited consideration for how easy it is to take them apart and separate materials once they reach end-of-life
Mixed materials in vehicles are difficult to separate and fixing methods and adhesives can make the challenge of reducing waste and recycling for reuse nearly impossible.
JLR’s Circularity Lab teams aim to disassemble vehicles in a collaborative ‘learn through doing’ approach, working closely with suppliers and experts in materials to understand and overcome the barriers to reuse and recycling.
Data is fed from the Lab directly into early decision-making for vehicle development and testing for technical feasibility and the assessment of whether a project is viable and can be developed using the available resources and technology.
Returning materials like glass, steel, aluminium and polymers back into its supply chain for reuse in the production of new vehicles whilst remaining high-quality is a huge step in the sustainable vehicle movement
Andrea Debbane, Chief Sustainability Officer at JLR, says: “I am so excited about the potential of this way of working. It represents a collective commitment to doing things differently, challenging us to rethink our approach from all angles to find the solutions needed to design and build the cars of the future.”
“Close collaboration with experts from the recycling and materials science industries, with our supply chain partners, and colleagues from design and engineering is key – we need to work as a collective value chain to unlock meaningful change at scale. The knowledge and applications found demonstrate that full circularity is feasible and as a business this is critical to our transition.”
What does the future hold?
JLR has already had success in closed-loop innovation through an award-winning project involving post-industrial waste from aluminium body panel stamping being recycled back to the supplier to be incorporated into new body panels.
Previous successful projects conducted by JLR provide hope and optimism for how the future can be sustainable, especially with key collaborations.
Mick Flanagan, Vice President Customer Group at Adient, says: “At Adient, we are proud to lead the change in integrating closed-loop recycled materials into our seating solutions. Our collaboration with JLR and Dow not only showcases our commitment to sustainability but also demonstrates how innovative partnerships can drive significant advancements in the automotive industry.
"By leveraging recycled polyurethane, we are setting new benchmarks for environmental responsibility while ensuring our products deliver the luxury and comfort our customers expect.”
The Circularity Lab supports JLR’s strategy to set new benchmarks in environmental, societal and community impact for businesses whilst operating in a circular economy.
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