Lexus Eco Materials

Well, not the water bottle and bag-on-the-side-of-the-road varieties, since those take about umpteen thousand years to break down.

We’re talking about Eco-Plastic, the plant-based material that is used to cover 30% of interior and luggage areas in the HS 250h, and will soon be incorporated in all Lexus models.

Its basic ingredients: kenaf, a fibrous member of the hibiscus family, as well as components derived from sugar cane and sweet potatoes. Its basic benefit: there’s no need for petroleum, used in most typical plastics. In fact, kenaf actually eats carbon as it grows and the HS 250h will release 20% fewer carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the vehicle, thanks to Lexus Eco-Plastic.

Back in 2003, Lexus’ top brass formerly decided to make its core Lexus models 95% recyclable by the year 2015, “recyclable” being defined as being reusable in other applications or simply bio-degradable.

Soon after the decision was officially codified, Lexus began conducting life-cycle assessments of every single component in its vehicles, looking at not just the environmental impact of raw materials but also the energy consumed and emissions generated in manufacturing, as well as the costs of recycling and/or disposing of components when their usefulness is at an end.

Wow, you might say. But why is it taking Lexus so long to figure it out? After all, the world is already filled with usable, eco-sensitive manufacturing materials. The answer has to do with quality: As experienced Lexus owners already know, Lexus models last. No matter what, at Lexus, eco has had to go hand in hand with premium, and marrying the two isn’t something that happens overnight.

“It’s one thing to make a material that meets our mechanical property requirements, then put it under carpet or hide it in the trunk,” explains Paul Williamsen, National Manager for Lexus College. “But it’s a whole other level of development to bring that material up to the level where we can give it a Lexus-like fit and finish and make it visible to the owner.”

In other words, Lexus is steadily finding the formula for high-quality recycled materials, and is getting amazingly close to the 95% recyclability goal. With the introduction of Eco-Plastic and other materials—castor-seed–based seat foam, for example—the HS 250h is already 85% recyclable or renewable.

Don’t drive an HS 250h? You should still feel good—chances are your model, even if it’s a few years old, reflects other milestones in the 95% journey. Consider the following little-talked-about breakthroughs along the way, of which some are part of the recyclability initiative, some are improved processes, and some are smart energy-saving technologies.

via Lexus Drivers

For any further information, please contact us and we will be pleased to answer your questions.

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