We can also reduce our carbon footprint with the color of our car – June 5th is World Environment Day

It doesn’t matter what color our car is

Black has traditionally been the most popular car color on the global market, as it was the cheapest type of paint in the early days of the automotive industry. However, since then, numerous reports have been made, which have shown that black cars – simply due to their color – have the largest carbon footprint. The reason for this is that black absorbs light to a greater extent than any other color, which heats up much faster, so we use the air conditioner more, which directly and negatively affects consumption. All this can mean up to 140 liters of extra fuel and 323 kilograms of extra carbon dioxide emissions in a single car in a year. In addition, the car needs to be washed twice as often as in the case of other, lighter colors, so the amount of water used for washing also has a greater impact on the environment. However, the lighter the paint, the better the consumption, i.e. our wallet, and the environment, the better, of which white is the most ideal, since white cars reflect approximately 60% of sunlight. As a result, not only does the interior of the car heat up less, but the vehicle also indirectly cools the surrounding air. The situation is similar with silver and other light-colored cars, but basically the lighter our car is, the more this effect is.

Recycled materials are gaining ground in interiors

When car manufacturers design and build the interiors of their latest models, comfort, functionality and cost are all key factors, but in recent years the environmental impact of the materials used has also become an increasingly important consideration. The average modern car weighing 1,500 kg consists of 12-15% plastic, according to Plastic Europe. It is found in many elements of a car’s interior, including dashboards, headrests, airbags and seat belts, making it the second most used material in the automotive industry. In addition to plastic, elegant, durable, stain-resistant and easy-to-clean leather is also regularly used in car interiors, but scientists are divided on whether the use of animal skin is a more sustainable option than plastic. For this reason, manufacturers are turning to recycled materials in the latest models that are being released today, which helps vehicle manufacturing to become more circular. These include recycled PET and regenerated nylon, which is obtained from old fishing nets and fabric waste, for example, but there are also examples of using residues from regional hemp industries, which have the advantage of being produced in existing industrial plants and can be recycled or composted in the vehicle at the end of its life. So if we want to choose a car in an environmentally conscious way, it is worth paying attention to the type of materials used in the interior.