{"id":30676,"date":"2026-06-04T12:02:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T12:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/30676\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T12:02:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T12:02:07","slug":"renault-groups-francois-farion-on-balancing-sustainability-commitments-with-customer-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/30676\/","title":{"rendered":"Renault Group\u2019s Francois Farion on balancing sustainability commitments with customer expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"

The start of 2026 marked five years since Renault Group<\/a> chief executive Luca de Meo unveiled the \u2018Renaulution\u2019 strategy \u2013 a multi-tiered approach aimed at bolstering competitiveness, efficiency and the group\u2019s transition to electric vehicles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Allied to this is a commitment to improving the circularity and recyclability of the materials it uses across all aspects of car design \u2013\u00a0last year, SustainabilityOnline had the chance to attend the launch of the Renault Embl\u00e8me, which as well as boasting a dual-energy powertrain (rechargeable battery and hydrogen fuel cell), was developed using at least 50% post-consumer recycled<\/a> materials, sourced from end-of-life vehicles and industrial scrap.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the recent Rethinking Materials Summit in London<\/a>, Francois Farion, design director, Innovation, Sustainability and CMF Process at Renault Group, took part in a panel discussion on the topic Inside the Machine: Transforming Automotive Interiors, which addressed the latest developments in sustainable automotive design.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We caught up with Farion on the sidelines of the summit, to discuss how Renault is balancing its sustainability<\/a> commitments with customer expectations. As he explained, his role involves integrating the group\u2019s sustainability agenda into design practicalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThree years ago, Laurens [van den Acker, chief design officer of the Renault Group], acknowledged that we needed to have somebody in design that would represent sustainability, both to pass the message to the designers as well as connect the design element to the broader sustainability agenda, led by Cl\u00e9a [Martinet, vice-president of sustainability at Renault Group and Ampere \u2013\u00a0check out our recent interview with her here<\/a>]. That is now a big part of my job, along with innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sustainable focus<\/p>\n

As Farion explains, when he came into the business \u2013\u00a0joining from Japanese carmaker Nissan in 2018 \u2013\u00a0design-related sustainability tended to focus on two areas:\u00a0engineers increasing recycled plastics in hidden vehicle components, and CMF designers pushing for visible recycled materials in interiors, such as the introduction of recycled fabrics and recycled plastics into models such as the Renault 5 E-Tech, Renault 4 and Renault Sc\u00e9nic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was mainly being driven by young designers,\u201d he says. \u201cThey were pushing like crazy to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, in turn, led to Renault expanding its sustainability focus to heavier materials including aluminium and steel. However, as Farion notes, scaling circularity in these areas hasn\u2019t always been straightforward, despite some positive achievements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have had some very good results \u2013\u00a0recently, we worked on a wheel made with 90% recycled aluminium,\u201d he says. \u201cA lot of people thought it wouldn\u2019t work, that we would encounter problems, and while it\u2019s not finished yet, so I can\u2019t claim victory, it\u2019s so far, so good. All the tests we have done to date \u2013\u00a0for aspect, for strength \u2013 are positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, there are some limitations\u00a0\u2013\u00a0for example, with bumpers, we cannot go to more than 25% recycled materials today due to shock resistance, particularly when it\u2019s cold outside. But that\u2019s not the main problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main problem is the cost. When you have something that\u2019s the same price, or more cost-effective, it\u2019s low-hanging fruit. But when we did an analysis, to see whether there was any recycled material that was slightly less expensive than the virgin material, nobody was able to tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renault Group is using AI to identify lower-cost recyclable materials and is prioritising solutions that can be applied across millions of vehicles rather than individual models.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have found some areas where we can do things that are less expensive and more recyclable,\u201d he adds. \u201cThat\u2019s what we want: solutions that don\u2019t just work on one car \u2013\u00a0we want them to work on all cars. That\u2019s 2.2 million cars across the Renault Group. So it\u2019s quite important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customer demand<\/p>\n

As to the type of customers that are seeking more sustainable vehicles, Farion points to recent research conducted by its Dacia brand, which found that by and large, customers were interested in sustainable materials and electric vehicles but often felt constrained by affordability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey tell us, \u2018yes, I\u2019d like to have an EV, but I can\u2019t afford it\u2019,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s something we need to address. Also, when you ask them whether they would like to have more recycled materials and things like that, they are very positive about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While there is a preconceived notion that younger consumers are more active in driving sustainable behaviour than older generations, Renault\u2019s sales figures \u2013 the average buyer of a new Renault is aged 56 \u2013\u00a0contradict this perception. Farion notes that higher-end customers, including buyers of Alpine vehicles, are increasingly seeking sustainable and lightweight materials rather than traditional luxury finishes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people that are really in the super high-end market are no longer asking for exotic materials such as crocodile skin,\u201d he says. \u201cInstead, they are looking for more sustainable options. Customers purchasing an Alpine, for example, tell us: \u2018I\u2019m not interested in another leather seat. I\u2019m interested in a new sustainable and lightweight material that you can offer me.\u2019<\/p>\n

As he notes, consumer acceptance of sustainable automotive<\/a> interiors depends on whether materials presenting a clear and authentic visual story \u2013\u00a0in other words, more natural looking finishes rather than heavily processed ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you show something that looks natural and is made from a natural material, people understand the story \u2013 if it\u2019s clean, easy to follow, and looks good, they will buy into that story,\u201d says Farion. \u201cSo, if you present something that is made of flax, looks like a woven flax, and is presented as such, people can understand that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, if you use flax and you put a super thick, clear coat on that, people don\u2019t get it. It\u2019s like, \u2018okay, there is flax inside, but it\u2019s covered under a shiny coating\u2019. There\u2019s a new trend towards open-pore wood and natural looking wood, and people feel that this is a natural material, so they are very positive about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at the same time, if you have something that looks very recycled, you have to be careful, because if it looks fibrous, or a little bit like secondhand wood that has been rehashed, people say \u2018well, it\u2019s probably fine for some people, but I don\u2019t want that in my car\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perception, in other words is key. Renault Group recently replaced leather steering wheel coverings with a 50% bio-sourced alternative made from cotton and castor oil, which actually outperformed leather in customer blind testing and durability assessments \u2013\u00a0\u201ctop-level leather only ranked fourth in terms of customer appreciation\u201d, says Farion \u2013 challenging assumptions around the perceived quality of sustainable materials.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to prove to customers that we can make these sort of changes, and they\u2019re not going to feel shortchanged,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Navigating sustainability regulation<\/p>\n

European regulation<\/a> is understandably a strong motivator of sustainability initiatives at Renault Group \u2013\u00a0\u201ca company like Renault cannot afford to be non-compliant\u201d, says Farion \u2013\u00a0with the group viewing compliance as both a challenge and an opportunity to accelerate sustainability targets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some cases, it helps us,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the case of plastics, for example, it helps us to push the sustainability angle because by 2032, we need to be using at least 15% post-consumer recycled plastics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is complicated is that there is lots of legislation arriving at the same time, one on batteries, one on deforestation, one on plastics, and all these measures concerning CBAM. That makes things a little bit more difficult, but in general, I would say regulation helps us.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the EU\u2019s Omnibus legislation, meanwhile, which seeks to free up red tape and ensure Europe can better compete internationally,\u00a0Farion notes that while Chinese automotive manufacturers currently hold advantages in technology, speed of execution, sustainability, design, service networks and vehicle lifecycle management are areas where European manufacturers can remain competitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to sustainability, there are almost no Chinese companies that have made really big sustainability claims,\u201d he says. \u201cSome of them have made mild, \u2018on the surface\u2019 claims. That seems to be a domain where they are lacking a little bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, when it comes to a question of where you are going to compete \u2013\u00a0in design, yes. In sustainability, certainly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about Renault\u2019s sustainability strategy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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