Audi is offering seat upholstery made from recycled PET bottles in the fourth generation of its A3 model.
Up to 89% of the textile consists of recycled PET bottles, which are transformed into yarn, with Audi promising the same quality standards as conventional materials.
Up to 45 PET bottles with 1.5 liters of capacity are used per seating system with an additional 62 for the carpet.
Other components are being made from secondary raw materials including insulating materials and absorbers, the side panel trims of the luggage compartment, the loading floor and mats.
Not all of the seat upholstery is made of completely recyclable material, but Audi is working on this.
Ute Groenheim, who is in charge of material development in Audi’s textile division, said, “The lower layer of woven material, which is connected to the upper material with adhesive, is what poses the challenge. We are working on replacing this with recyclable polyester.
“It is our goal to make the seat upholstery completely from unmixed material so that it can be recycled again. We are no longer very far away from this.”
Three different material designs for the A3 have up to 89% of recycled material.
The steel gray material ‘Torsion’ has yellow contrasting stitching creating visual highlights, and the material ‘Puls’ is also available.
The S Line features a black and silver color combination and is accentuated by rock gray contrasting stitching.
The designs form the basic offering and can be combined with side bolsters made of artificial leather.
