MILAN – Alcantara, the leading luxury material for the automotive, fashion and consumer-electronics industries, is now available in a version made from 68% post-consumer recycled polyester.
The recycled fibre content is produced in Europe and covered by the RCS (Recycled Claim Standard).
A corporate leader in the implementation of environmental initiatives, Alcantara was certified as Carbon Neutral in 2009. It is the first Italian industrial company and one of the world’s first companies to achieve carbon neutrality status.
In its recently issued sustainability report the company notes that its offset emissions amounted to 42,461 tons of CO₂ emissions during the last fiscal year.
Over the past 13 years Alcantara has also supported 50 offset projects, including programs involving wind power, solar and hydroelectric in countries such as India, Turkey and Uganda.
The company was also able to avoid 15,272 tons of CO₂ emissions thanks to trigeneration and cogeneration systems in place at its facilities in Italy.
“Sustainability is the most critical issue of our times,” said chairman and CEO Andrea Boragno. “It is a core value deeply rooted in our corporate culture and an important growth driver of our business strategy development. This latest development could lead to products that rely solely on recycled material within the next three-to-five years.”
He added that Alcantara is a member of the United Nations Global Compact and is committed to advancing the United Nations sustainable development goals.
Alcantara’s cradle to grave approach involves the measurement of all CO₂ emissions at every stage of its product life cycle from raw materials and production processes up to the product’s use and end-of-life.
Today the company also provides its automotive customers with specially customised products developed by its Complex Manufacturing Department at its production plant in Nera Montoro, Italy. The department provides uniquely branded and customised seating, headliners, floor mats and other products for companies such as Lamborghini, Ford, Maserati, McLaren, Jaguar and Alfa Romeo.
