JLR is looking to use recycled content in seat foam to further lower the environmental impact of its future electric cars.
The automaker announced in November that it’s working with chemical company Dow and seat specialist Adient to recycle polyurethane seat foam, a difficult task that means most of the material usually ends up in landfills, according to JLR. The automaker aims to start testing recycled seat foam in pre-production vehicles later this year.
Recycled foam will be one element of a “circular seat” made from material that can be easily recycled, which is estimated to halve the carbon dioxide emissions associated with production of current seats, according to JLR.
JLR tests recycled seat foam
Increased emphasis on reusing materials rather than discarding them, the foundation of what’s called the “circular economy,” is the focus of a dedicated JLR research lab. Researchers at this lab have found that a major obstacle to reuse is the difficulty of separating individual materials when a car is disassembled, either because of how their attached to each or because of mixed-material use in certain components.
Besides seats, other areas where Jaguar is looking to improve are front-bumper foam, where JLR is testing a new formulation with a reduced number of polymers for easier recycling, and aluminum body panels. In the latter case, JLR worked with suppliers to reuse scraps from the stamping process in new panels.
JLR tests recycled seat foam
JLR isn’t the only automaker thinking along these lines. Over a decade ago, Ford began incorporating renewable materials—including recycled jeans—into sound insulation for its vehicles. In 2021, BMW showed a concept car based on the idea of a circular economy, which the automaker claimed was made from 100% recycled materials and was itself 100% recyclable.
Such efforts are especially important for electric vehicles, as their lack of “tailpipe” emissions makes emissions from production a more significant part of their overall carbon footprint. JLR aims to make its Jaguar brand all-electric within the next few years, starting with a six-figure GT car inspired by the Type 00 concept shown at the end of 2024, with electric Land Rover models planned as well.
