Alcantara plans to increase the use of recycled post-consumer fibres in its luxury materials for the automotive, fashion and consumer-electronics industries.

The company is introducing a new material with a greater proportion of recycled polymers and could lead to products that rely solely on recycled material within the next three-to-five years. It is certified to be from 68% post-consumer recycled polyester 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 COâ‚‚ emissions during the last fiscal year.

Over the past 13 years Alcantara has also supported 50 offset projects, including programmes 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 COâ‚‚ 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.”

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 COâ‚‚ 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 the 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.

www.alcantara.com