Ferrari Purosangue Boasts World’s First Recycled Alcantara Fabric

When Ferrari committed to developing the famed marque’s first four-door vehicle, the Purosangue, the company sought to maximize the technology employed in the project. In addition to the Multimatic True Spool Valve Dampers discussed previously, Ferrari also explored the use of greener materials in the vehicle’s upholstery.

Ferrari called Alcantara, the Milan-based subsidiary of Japanese chemical conglomerate Toray, to investigate using new versions of the company’s eponymous product. Alcantara is a fabric made from a textured blend of polyester and polyurethane that looks and feels like sueded leather.

Alcantara fabric. ALCANTARA

This gives carmakers the ability to provide a leather-like material that is vegan. Considering the interests of customers to whom that would appeal, reducing the carbon footprint of Alcantara through the use of recycled material would be desirable.

“Sustainable materials have been used extensively throughout the Purosangue, opening up the possibility for new combinations,” boasts Ferrari in the Purosangue’s press release. “In fact, 85 percent of the launch trim for the car was sustainably produced: the fabric roof-lining is recycled polyester, the carpet is made from polyamide recycled from fishing nets retrieved from the oceans and newly formulated Alcantara, also derived from recycled polyester.”

Related:Maserati Uses Aquafil Econyl Recycled Nylon

You might recall that the fishing net-sourced polyester for the roof lining is also used by the Maserati Grecale Folgore EV from this article. The Purosangue is the very first car in the world to use this special version of Alcantara made of 68 percent of post-consumer recycled polyester.

“When Ferrari’s designers approached us with the Purosangue project, it was obvious to us that we had to offer them a special version of the material we had been researching and testing for some time,” recalled Carlo Ammirati, Alcantara sustainability director and innovation manager.

Carlo Ammirati, Alcantara's sustainability director and innovation manager. ALCANTARA

Because Purosangue is a half-million-dollar Ferrari, no compromises in product quality would be acceptable. “It is a new material that maintains Alcantara’s well-known cosmetic, technical, and sensory qualities, while maximizing the use of recycled raw materials,” he explained. “The Alcantara used onboard is 68 percent recycled polyester, certified and derived from post-consumer waste recycling. In other words, plastic waste, rather than being sent to a landfill, incinerated, or worse, dumped in the environment, is collected, purified, and regranulated.”

This freshly granulated polyester then goes into the regular production process. “This produces polyester, which Alcantara then uses in its spinning process, reducing the carbon footprint to a minimum compared to virgin polymers,” said Ammirati.

Related:Ferrari SUV Debuts New Multimatic Active Damper Technology

Unlike some materials, which can be analyzed to confirm their recycled content, that isn’t the case with polyester. So Alcantara employs a stringent auditing system to confirm that the material it is using is re-used material. “As the recycled material content cannot be checked retrospectively by laboratory analysis, the material has been subject to a rigorous procedure to obtain certification of compliance with Textile Exchange’s Recycled Claim Standard,” he said.

“This certification demonstrates the recycled content of products through what’s referred to as a ‘mass balance,’ tracking recycled raw materials through the entire supply chain, from source, to finished product.”

Business Research Insights says that the worldwide market for recycled polyester was $12.3 billion in 2021 and will grow to $28.3 billion by 2031. BRI cites polyester’s resistance to abrasion, fatigue, and chemicals for its popularity in automotive upholstery. Additionally, the material has water absorption and cooling properties that are similar to natural fibers, providing the comfort automotive customers demand.

Related:Maranello Masterpieces: The Legacy of Enzo Ferrari

Ninety-nine percent of recycled polyester comes from recycled plastic bottles, reports the Textile Exchange. The use of this material in fabric declined from 15 percent in 2021 to 14 percent in 2022, mainly because of the appeal of recycled polyester for a variety of other applications, according to the organization.