Cars and Global Warming: 5 Ways Car Interiors Have Become More Green

Fuel efficiency isn’t the only way automakers deal with combating global warming effects. The cars themselves are becoming greener with eco-friendly materials from the earth and natural methods to design vehicles inside and out.

Here are five ways car interiors have become greener:

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1. Plant-based raw materials work so well for car interiors that drivers and passengers hardly notice the difference. These natural materials can even be stronger and lighter at the same time than the synthetic substances they replace. This even helps improve gas mileage.

Some of the replacements include soy-based foam for seat cushions and head restraints, hemp and flax for material inside of the roof instead of fiberglass, and kenaf, a tropical plant used for resin on the inside of doors.

2. Natural plastic alternatives come from sugars in corn, sugar cane and other crops for use in car interiors. They don’t release volatile organic compounds into the air like plastic. And there are no odors. BMW uses energy from hydroelectric power to make carbon fiber-reinforced plastics.

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3. Recycling has a variety of uses inside cars. Cardboard packaging that once went into the garbage is now used for headliner material for inside the roof. Recycled denim works for padding underneath the carpet on the floor.

What motorists are sitting on might be made of the plastic beverage bottles they once drank from. Ford even partnered with Coca-Cola to manufacture seat fabric instead of using petroleum-based materials. Other items used for car interiors include recycled tires, battery casings and detergent bottles.

4. Wood pieces and scraps are decorating some luxury cars for trim and panels. The wood comes from scraps that would have been thrown away. Instead, the pieces work just as well as fresh wood to design car interiors with very little processing. This reduces the need to cut down more trees.

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5. Eco-friendly means are being used to design leather for cars. Although leather is a natural product, car manufacturers had to use harsh chemicals such as formaldehyde to tan the leather when placing it in cars. Natural materials avoid the environmental hazards in processing. Leather alternatives include alcantara, which is made from polyester fiber and feels like suede, and olive leaves to tan leather without the harmful side effects that contribute to global warming.

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