Sustainable fabrics

VOLKSWAGEN has confirmed they are researching non ­ animal alternatives to leather in a bid to use non ­ animal leather and recycled materials.

Steering wheel covers made from non ­ animal leather, seat finishes made from cellulose or recycled materials made from plastic bottles, Volkswagen is being both creative and innovative particularly when it comes to the models in the all­electric ID family.

Aiming to further reduce their ecological footprint, VW is researching various promising approaches and implementing them in series production. One focus area here is using non ­ animal and recycled materials in the interior.

The well ­ established and often only alternative to date was imitation leather, which is predominantly based on plastics made of mineral oil, such as polyurethane or PVC.

During a brainstorming session held by the team for biomaterials at Volkswagen Group Innovation, the idea of coffee leather was formed. When the beans are roasted, the silver skin surrounding the coffee bean ends up being a residual material. The silver skins are a perfect filler for imitation leather. The substance builds up dried, and in a format very well suited for further processing.