Sustainable Automotive Seat Materials

At a time when environmental concerns are essential in all areas of life. 'Transformation to sustainable mobility' is Hyundai Transys' ESG management goal. We introduce the company's technology that strives to minimize environmental impact and create products that are friendly to the human body.

 

Hyundai Transys is researching and developing various seat materials based on the 'human-friendly' and 'nature-friendly' eco-seat roadmap.

With an annual production capacity of 5 million complete seats, Hyundai Transys produces automotive seats for various car classes and models in nine countries around the world, including Korea, the United States, the Czech Republic, and India. We have developed seats for nearly 200 car models. As a top player in the global market, the sustainability of our products has become as important as our performance, so we have focused on seat materials. We have established a roadmap for 'human-friendly' and 'nature-friendly' eco-seats that minimizes elements that are harmful to the environment and actively utilizes elements that are friendly to humans and nature, and are developing various seat materials. We introduce the automotive seat materials and processes that Hyundai Transys has developed to enhance sustainability. 

 

Increased use of natural seat materials instead of chemicals

Seats are the closest car parts to people and must meet a variety of requirements for passenger safety and comfort. It was important to develop materials that are environmentally friendly while still fulfilling the functions that seat materials are supposed to have, such as stain resistance, abrasion resistance, and flame retardancy. Hyundai Transys has been increasing the content of natural materials in various seat materials such as leather, foam, and fiber through long-standing research.

First, 'bio foam' and 'bio leatherette', which are responsible for comfortable seating inside and outside the seat, are made of 'bio polyols' derived from castor seeds and corn to reduce the content of petroleum-based raw materials and increase the bio content. Foam pads have a bio content of 6 to 12%, while leatherette has 20%. There is also 'silicone leather' made from quartz, a natural mineral, which is made up of 100% eco-friendly silicone, which increases the durability of the material so that it does not wear out or get dirty easily. It also has the advantage of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 18.4 kilograms per car.

Hyundai Transys has also developed a fabric for seat upholstery using cotton and succeeded in applying 25% natural cotton fiber content to the seat upholstery fabric, which was previously 100% chemical fiber. In addition, recycled leather, which is made from more than 60% leather waste, has obtained the Global Recycling System(GRS) certification. Since recycled leather is made by powdering leather scraps into rolls, it has the advantage of minimizing cutting loss compared to natural leather. Natural cowhide has a cut loss rate of about 15%, while recycled leather has a cut loss rate of about 3%. 

 

With the strengthening of global hazardous substance laws, we are actively conducting research on reducing hazardous substances in flame retardants and antifouling agents. Hyundai Transys' Seat Materials Research Team is focusing on developing alternative processes to replace bromine-based flame retardants with inorganic/mechanical flame retardants and fluorine-based antifouling agents with silicone-based antifouling agents. In particular, the Gravure process applied to silicone antifouling fabrics is expected to increase the stability of the fabric by utilizing cylinders, which will improve consumer satisfaction.

 

Bio-foam and silicone leather with natural extracts are not only environmentally friendly, but also enhance the functionality of the material and the seat itself

 

To create a sustainable seat 

A process that improves the performance of a product is no longer considered advanced technology if it generates environmentally harmful substances or waste. Hyundai Transys is developing a process that satisfies both functionality and environment in advance of the upcoming global hazardous substance regulations. 

Efforts are also being made to reduce the generation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the bonding process that joins the various layers of seat materials together. Various VOCs reduction methods are being researched, including solvent-free (PUR) adhesion and water-based adhesion, rather than the traditional open flame method. The PUR bonding process replaces organic solvents and flame retardants that are harmful to humans with solvent-free adhesives, reducing carbon dioxide by 1.25 kilograms per vehicle and waste by 0.5 kilograms per vehicle. The water-based adhesive process is a process that uses liquid water-based adhesive without using conventional volatile and harmful solvents, which has the effect of reducing odor and toxic gas emissions.  
 

Hyundai Transys is working to develop various methods to proactively respond to global hazardous materials regulations.

 

Hyundai Transys' Step Toward More Valuable Growth

Based on the development of sustainable seat materials, Hyundai Transys aims to increase the percentage of natural extracts and recycled materials in seats to 30% by 2030. We also plan to internalize ESG management strategies with a long-term perspective across all business areas. 

We hope you will follow Hyundai Transys' steady progress toward sustainable growth as we take responsibility for the ten steps of ten people instead of the ten steps of one person.

 

■ Supervision: Hye-Rin Choi, Seat Materials Research Team, Senior Researcher