Make waste the new must-have
How to transform waste into chic, sleek, on-trend materials for cars, toys & other everyday objects
Green can be the new black.
Recycling existing materials is essential to transition away from fossil fuels. Using alternative natural feedstock like biomass is important too. But despite growing environmental awareness, recycled and bio-based materials are still too often seen as compromising on quality, performance and/or aesthetics (aka boring or even ugly) by both consumers and designers.
01. What’s at stake
Shaping a sleek new vision.
A fresh approach is needed to make green chicer and sleeker. To show everyone what makes these materials new, exciting and visually appealing – as well as efficient, useful and long-lasting. Recycling can become part of the storytelling: a car is not just an object but also a story of transformation and ecological commitment. Creating new materials also means creating new sensations and emotional experiences.
57% of consumers are willing to change their purchasing habits to help reduce negative environmental impact, with 71% of those willing to pay a premium for brands that are sustainable and environmentally responsible.
IBM study 2023
Given that so many consumers are embracing brands and products with a lower environmental impact, there’s even more reason for us to get moving. By creating low-carbon materials with evocative textures and premium finishes, we can give consumers the best of both worlds: low impact and high (visual/sensory) appeal.
02. Where we’re at?
Solutions & efforts by MATERI’ACT so far.
Since day 1, at MATERI’ACT, we’ve been musing over this tough challenge. Building on the success of NAFILean-R – already used in over 10 million vehicles worldwide – we decided to celebrate the biomass and recycled content at the heart of our products by making it more visible. The NAFILean Vision product family not only meets stringent performance standards but also elevates aesthetic quality.
Made with different biomass fillers, these recycled composites enable us to create a wide range of sustainable materials with different visual aspects – evoking their origin or creating a completely new look – in a choice colours, grains and textures. As well as meeting strict functional requirements. Perfect for demanding designers and engineers.
NAFILean Vision in action.
In 2022, NAFILean Vision made its way into the concept car we created with the Forvia Foundation and NGO Plastic Odyssey – with bio-based materials (starring oyster shell particles in this case) and recycled plastics and no post-processing required.
In focus: BMW
We’re not the only ones coming up with new materials and aesthetics.
Back in 2021, BMW imagined the BMW I Vision Circular, a compact car for 2040 focused on sustainability and luxury based on a “circular design” approach. This included secondary aluminium and steel (made from recycled waste), bio-based fabrics and mono-materials – all wrapped up in an ultra-sleek puristic design.
And they’re already applying elements of this approach, for example, introducing parts made from recycled fishing nets. Models of the NEUE KLASSE launched from 2025 onwards will feature trim parts made of plastic containing around 30% recycled fishing nets and ropes collected in our oceans.
03. What’s next?
Innovation that feels (and looks) right
The ball is rolling. Moving forward, together, we need to continue innovating and collaborating to make recycling easier and recycled and bio-based materials more appealing – and aesthetically disruptive. We’re busy exploring new combos of recycled and bio-based content to create products packed with superior performance, plus textures and looks that are evocative, sensual and cutting edge.
Keen to join us on this zero-carbon journey?
We’re always looking for new partners and customers to help us create fossil-fuel alternatives
to high performance standards, which can be (and are) recycled
A few challenges on the way.
The road to net-zero and zero new plastic is going to get bumpy at times. But that’s the only road we care to take.
Wanna join us?
Pick a challenge you’d like to tackle with us.
