Car Fule

The explosion of the Vegan phenomenon in recent years has confronted the automobile with its own contradictions. Respecting nature also means respecting animals. Long synonymous with comfort, animal leather was once considered an outward sign of status. It was also found mainly in the most high-end car models. Today and with the evolution of consciousness, it has fewer and fewer followers. We prefer faux leather, such as vegetable leather or recycled leather. Vegetable leather, or Vegan, does not use, as its name suggests, any material of animal origin (leather, wool, fabric). They are replaced by plant-based substitutes. Like Pineapple Leather (Pinatex), Wood Leather, Cactus Leather, Eucalyptus Leather, Mushroom Leather, etc. For recycled leather, the principle is different. It still uses materials of vegetable origin, but in a much lower quantity than for vegetable leather.

Recycled plastic to upholster the seats

It consists mostly of recycled parts. The most widely used today are plastic bottles (PET) from the oceanscork stoppers from the wine industry, but also abandoned fishing nets in the reefs. The possibilities of reuse are numerous, but the principle is always the same. Make from them a recycled yarn that will be used to weave seat coverings and door patterns for example. This process is of interest to more and more automobile constructors and manufacturers. However, it is even less common than vegetable leather. Volvo has taken the step towards such a process, introducing on its C40 Refills a recycled material called Nordico. Fiat has entered into a partnership with Seaqual to equip its Fiat 500 with yarn recycled from marine waste. Recently, BMW boasted the same process on its i-Circular concept, which should materialize through serial marketing. Today SEAT is taking the plunge and introducing a new finish on its Ibiza and Arona: by Seaqual.

Read also :

Cupra Terramar (2024): what we already know

Restyled Cupra Born: more equipment and technologies

SEAT Mo 50: now available to order in France

More responsible SEATs

Seaqual is a Spanish organization that collects marine plastic waste for recycling and reuse. Its partnership with SEAT involves the supply of a recycled fabric, made up of 10% marine plastic and 90% “terrestrial” plastic. It dresses the seats in black and blue two-tone upholstery, pierced with wavelets and streaks, like a nod to the oceans. Other specificities specific to these special versions, they adopt 17-inch “Urban Night” rims. Based on the Copa finish (introduced at the end of 2022), they are very well equipped as standard. The Ibiza is entitled to a new white insert on its dashboard, door panels and around the gear lever. Prices start for the Ibiza at €22,165, and for the Arona at €25,010. Assembled in Martorell, Spain, production of these special and responsible versions of SEAT models will begin in June 2023.