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Jaguar Land Rover will use ocean & landfill waste for sustainable luxury car interiors

Written by Nizam Shaikh

Following the announcement of the new Active Road Noise Cancellation technology for Jaguar cars and SUVs, Jaguar Land Rover has announced that the brand is working with ECONYL nylon material to develop high quality interiors made from the Landfill and Ocean waste. The new technology is in-line with the brand’s ‘Destination Zero’, an initiative to make societies safer, environment cleaner and healthier through new innovations, offering customers a sustainable solution. 

Future Jaguar and Land Rover cars will feature floor mats and trims made with ECONYL fibre which is recycled from industrial plastic, fabric cuts from the cloth industry, fishing nets from farming industry and fishing nets abandoned in the ocean which are also knowns a Ghost Nets. Aquafil, a global leader in the synthetic fibre industry, is already in use by various high-end fashion, sportswear and luxury watch brands through which products such as watch straps, handbags, backpacks and swimwear is made. 

Aquafil reclaims nylon waste from all over the world and the company recycles as much as 40,000 tonnes of waste reducing the global warming impact of nylon by 90% from the recycling process, as compared to the material produced from oil. The brand also claims that, every 10,000 tonnes of ECONYL produced reduces the consumption of 70,000 barrels of crude oil and 65,100 tonnes of carbon emissions equivalent is saved. 

The ECONYL yarn is made using a state-of-the-art treatment centres the waste is analysed, treated, prepared and then fed in to a chemical treatment plant where it is broken down into it original from through a process called as depolymerization. During the process other by-products such as non-nylon, metallic materials or copper sulphate which is used for preventing seagrass growing on fishing nets, are removed and sent to alternative industries for recycling.

The brand currently offers offers a premium Eucalyptus textile interior on the Range Rover Evoque and the optional Kvadrat – a durable material made from wool and suede using 53 recycled plastic bottles per vehicle.