JLR, Dow, and Adient Pioneer Closed-Loop Seat Foam with Recycled Polyurethane

Overview

• In November 2024, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Dow, and Adient achieved an industry-first by successfully using recycled polyurethane (PU) foam from end-of-life vehicles to produce new seat foam for luxury car seats.

• The effort was spearheaded by JLR’s Circularity Lab located at its Gaydon HQ, which fosters cross-functional collaboration—bringing together sustainability experts, engineers, designers, procurement teams, and supply chain partners—to dismantle vehicles and identify recyclable components.

How It Works

1. Collection & Recycling Process

• Used PU seat foam is harvested, sorted, and shredded to prepare for recycling.

• Dow employs its RENUVA™ depolymerization technology to convert the shredded material into recycled polyol (“re-polyol”).

2. Prototype Development

• The recycled polyol is integrated into Adient’s seating formulation. In this prototype, 20% of the foam content comes from the closed-loop recycled polyol.

• This marks the first known instance of a PU molded–foam for automotive seating being produced under such a closed-loop arrangement.

Environmental Impact

• CO₂e impact is nearly halved, with early assessments indicating a reduction of over 44 kg of CO₂e per seat—equivalent to charging around 3,000 smartphones.

• Dow’s RENUVA™ process is said to cut lifecycle CO₂e emissions by approximately 50% compared to virgin polyol.

Read Also: Automotive Interior Materials Market

Next Steps & Scaling

• Production-scale testing of the recycled-foam seats is scheduled to begin in early 2025, with the goal of integrating the technology across JLR’s vehicle lineup.

• As part of the Circularity Lab’s mission, JLR is also evaluating how far the recycled-content percentage can be increased for even greater sustainability.

• JLR may introduce this circular-seat material into production vehicles by 2026, depending on test results and scaling feasibility.

Why It’s a Milestone

• Material Complexity: PU seat foam is notoriously difficult to recycle due to its durability and multi-component nature. This breakthrough overcomes that challenge.

• Circular Supply Chain: Creating a closed-loop system for seat foam not only reduces waste but also secures a low-carbon material source, bolstering supply chain resilience.

• Luxury Standards Preserved: Despite using recycled content, the foam maintains the comfort and quality expected in luxury-class vehicle seating.

• Strategic Collaboration: Dow contributes material science and recycling tech; Adient brings seating-system manufacturing expertise; JLR drives innovation via its Circularity Lab and sustainability strategy.

• Policy Alignment: This initiative aligns with environmental regulations such as the European End-of-Life Directive, emphasizing the reuse and standardization of recycled content.

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