Toyota's new models to have upholstery made from recycled bottles

Toyota Motor says the seat upholstery in some of its new car models will be made from a material recycled from plastic bottles. The Japanese automaker says it wants to use more re-used materials to reach its carbon-neutrality goal by 2050.

The material will be in several of Toyota's four-wheel-drive models to be launched next year in Japan and overseas. The carmaker will work with eight other companies to create the upholstery. They include a recycler in Aichi Prefecture and a material manufacturer in Shiga Prefecture. Plastic bottles collected at Toyota's head office will be finely chopped and made into thread to weave the upholstery.

Twenty-one bottles will be recycled per vehicle. Toyota says the initiative will lead to a 10-percent reduction of carbon-dioxide emissions compared to using conventional materials made from petroleum.