DESIGN AND BUILD

Lexus looks at the whole lifecycle of a car to help measure its overall environmental impact in terms of materials, emissions and end-of-life.

Lexus is pioneering the use of high-recoverability materials, and researching and using parts that are easy to recycle at the end of their usable life to facilitate easy recycling and recovery. Even the least visible parts of a Lexus are designed with this in mind: recycled bumpers are being used to make trim for the luggage compartment and recycled, shredded soundproofing material is used for the silencer behind the dashboard.

Car door trims are now made with the stem of kenaf – a member of the hibiscus family – rather than the woodchips previously used. Kenaf absorbs between two- and five-times as much CO2 than other plants and is mixed with old waste bumpers from car repair shops to make door trim that is lighter, has better sound-proofing and uses material that doesn’t deplete forests.