green living

Cars Go Vegan Leather Interiors are on the Way Out

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by Yvette C. Hammett C onsumers are becoming more conscious about their purchases in light of the ongoing climate than leather. Vegan “leather” is being produced from cork, glazed cotton and even bark cloth, so it’s not just a matter crisis exacerbated by animal-based of replacing animal-based products with agriculture. As they begin to make better unsustainable plastic. choices in what they consume, wear and With funding from Honda and Ford, drive, vegan car interiors are becoming Bharat Bhushan, Ph.D., director of the more popular. The environmental impact Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio- & Nanoof producing leather, foam and other technology and Biomimetics in the John materials is being replaced in some inGlenn College of Public Affairs of Ohio stances by alternatives that are becoming State University, Columbus, developed a more readily available to environmenfaux leather that has the potential to be tally conscious consumers. used on both seats and dashboards.

The Toyota Prius line uses Sof-Tex “I work in technology to repel synthetic leather or other synthetic cloth water and oil from a variety of surfaces,” upholstery which bolsters its reputation Bhushan says. “Leather gets very sticky as a sustainable automaker. Mercedes when it is hot, so we thought it would Benz and BMW are offering customers be great to repel water or any other plant-based alternatives and Tesla has contaminant to avoid that stickiness and been dropping leather from its upholhelp it remain clean.” The side benefit, he stery choices for a while now, with the further notes, is that it’s an alternative to Model 3 and Model Y already sporting animal hide. vegan-only interiors. The Volvo Polestar Audi Head of Design Marc Lichte, 2 also comes standard with vegan upwhose twin daughters are both vegan, holstery, along with recycled wood. And says vegan leather is a huge selling point the 2020 Range Rover Evoque, Velar and for customers and that both the Audi Jaguar I-Pace SUVs all offer consumers e-tron GT and Q4 will be animal-free. vegan interiors. Faux leather will replace the traditional

Research and development is ongoleather, and all cushions, window trim, ing in this realm to create faux leather armrests, headliners and center consoles that not only looks good, but is actually will be manufactured with recycled more durable and easier to maintain materials.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) made a major push in the past few years to increase production of vegan-based car interiors. In 2016, PETA conducted an investigation into JBS, the world’s largest leather supplier, which sells to car companies from GM to VW and more. “What it found was that the supplier severely mistreats the cattle being raised for the leather with hot irons on the face, electrocution, beatings and cutting their throats while they are still conscious,” says Jennifer Behr, corporate responsibility officer for PETA. “When consumers are shopping, they should take that into consideration. Those interiors came from a cow that lived a miserable life and died a painful one.”

Beyond that, cattle represent a climate risk. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health published a study showing that knowledge of the environmental ramifications from cattle is not well known by the average consumer. “The livestock industry is the source of a broad spectrum of environmental impacts,” the study states. “The first and most important is climate change.” It’s estimated that 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the livestock industry. Enlightened consumers are using that information to determine what they purchase, from food to cars.

BMW spokesperson Oleg Satanovsky says vegan options are not new for his company; they’ve been around for decades, but options have been updated. BMW uses a material called SensaTec, a new brand name for its non-animalsourced upholstery “to reflect the more upscale design and feel of the materials,” he contends.

“We look to nature for clues” to develop alternatives, Bhushan says. His research was based on the lotus leaf and its resiliency—it’s both water and oil repellant. “A single species like that can be used for many things,” with little or no environmental impact.

Yvette C. Hammett is an environmental writer based in Valrico, FL. Connect with her at YvetteHammettHull49@gmail.com.

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