New fabric made from recycled plastic bottles and NZ merino

The merino wool blend was chosen by the designers for its premium characteristics. Photo / File

A unique, environmentally friendly fabric made from recycled plastic bottles and a New Zealand merino wool blend will be displayed as part of the Material Innovation exhibition at the London Design Museum.

The material, which was created by renowned Danish designers Kvadrat, was designed to be a sustainable replacement for leather in the latest Range Rover model.

Jaguar Land Rover NZ sales operations manager Ben Montgomery says the merino wool blend was chosen by the designers for its premium characteristics.

"The designers wanted to find a way to produce a sustainable alternative to leather - by incorporating recycled plastic and merino they were able to create a fabric which has a premium feel but still meets the demand of a growing, environmentally-conscious market.

"Having the fabric showcased in the London Design Museum is a testament to the quality of New Zealand's merino wool as well the innovation of the designers," he says.

Montgomery says the atrium seating at the London museum has been re-upholstered with 18 original materials used in Land Rovers from 1948 to 2018 for the Material Innovation installation.