ARPRO seat core delivers 12 times better CO2 reduction than alternative

26-Feb-09

ARPRO®, an expanded polypropylene (EPP) material manufactured by JSP mostly used for making seat core in automotive sector, has been claimed to score twelve times better on its global warming potential (CO2 emissions) than alternative. After an independent life cycle assessment done to study the comparative global warming impact, the CO2 reduction resulting from an example ARPRO seat core was 265kg CO2 (e) over the vehicle lifetime. The aim of the independent study was to produce an ISO-compliant life cycle assessment of a seat core manufactured from ARPRO. Moreover, ARPRO is 100% recyclable making it increasingly ideal for automotive components as car makers strive to meet the 2005 ELV Regulations which stipulate a reuse and recycling target of 85 percent of the weight of the vehicle. The company provided ARPRO seating solutions for three of 2008's major European car launches, including the Volvo XC60. The company claims ARPRO seating structures preserve safety, enable flat floors and cost-effective H-Point variation for multiple platforms, save weight and provide a positive environmental impact. The environmental impact of the seat core production was calculated through the stages of raw-material production, ARPRO production, moulding and component assembly. "If this saving is applied to the number of cars sold annually, an environmental saving of nearly 16 million tonnes of CO2 (e) could be achieved," states Compton. "Assuming a vehicle lifetime of 100,000km, just changing the seat can enable a reduction in CO2 (e) of 2.65 g/km, over 13 per cent of the 2012 EU target reduction from 140 to 120 g/km CO2 (e)," says Compton. The company claims key to the CO2 (e) savings is the ability to deliver weight reductions of up to 35 percent, achieved by replacing the heavy steel anti-submarining safety ramp with ARPRO.