Japanese company turns car seats into office chairs

Ever wish you could throw away your car but keep the comfy seats you’ve spent so many hours in? Now Japanese drivers can do just that, thanks to Kaiho Sangyo, a car recycling company in Kanazawa, Japan, that helps turning the old seats into office chairs. “Car seats are unusually roomy, with head rests and reclining features. They’re ergonomically designed so you don’t get tired, and they’re covered with durable fabric. It’s really a waste to throw them away,” says Shigeru Sakurai, president of Wise Kai Takura Corporation, the subsidiary of Kaiho that produces the so-called “treasure chairs.”

Japanese recycling laws ensure that more than 80 percent of car parts stay out of the landfill. Kaiho is one of many companies at which cars are dismantled, and engines, wheels and nearly everything else sold. The seats pose a particular challenge, however, because there’s little demand for them and the blend of plastic and fabric is difficult to recycle. So Kaiho found a novel solution: Turn the high-quality seats into office furniture. Since 2004, Wise Kai Takura has sold about 1,000 chairs, which run from $200 for a custom model to upwards of $1,000 for a refurbished Prius seat. The company also sells chic bags sewn together from used seat belts.

“I think demand will grow once the idea becomes more widely known,” says Sakurai. One customer from Jordan, he adds, saw the chairs and started making a similar product back home. Kaiho even offers custom recycling for those who want to keep other parts of their cars.

Winifred Bird

Hold onto your seats!