Land Rover to use recycled products to make future vehicles
October 15 2020,
Land Rover will never cease to amaze and innovate. Recently, the British-based firm announced that future models in its portfolio will be made in part from... waste. In fact, the company announced that it was working to integrate a recycled material called Econyl into its manufacturing process and that we were looking forward to seeing it appear in its products in the coming years.
Created in 2011 by Italian company Aquafil, Econyl is a fiber made from a blend of recycled industrial plastics, leftover fabric from clothing manufacturers and discarded fishing nets that float in the ocean. It is more environmentally friendly to produce than petroleum-based fibres and helps clean the planet of its residues.
Jaguar and Land Rover will use Econyl to make floor mats in the near future. We don't yet know which models will take advantage of it, but it's reasonable to think that the next generations of the XJ sedan and Range Rover SUV would be the first two to benefit from it. Both are expected in 2021.
Recovered materials are processed in a chemical plant and broken down into a raw material before being transformed into wire. Waste from this process, including metallic materials and copper sulfate, is sent elsewhere for recycling.
According to Jaguar Land Rover, the recycling process used by Aquafil to produce this material reduces nylon's impact on global warming by 90% compared to a material produced from petroleum. This means that the production of 10,000 tons of Econyl saves 70,000 barrels of crude oil and 65,100 tons of CO2 equivalent compared to the same amount of non-recycled material.
The introduction of Econyl is part of Jaguar Land Rover's efforts to offer a range of materials that offer the same luxurious feel as its traditional interiors, but with a reduced environmental impact. In doing so, the company strives to reduce its carbon emissions to zero.
