In order to save energy and reduce emissions, car brand manufacturers can be said to have thought of various ways, the recent news, BMW will start in 2023, BMW and MINI models to use new vegan interiors (vegan interiors). It is reported that the new interior material will be used for the steering wheel and other parts, and thus replace the leather and synthetic leather, so as to meet the demand in the United States, China and Europe market.
This move is an important step towards achieving the BMW Group’s goal of carbon neutrality and makes a significant contribution to replacing animal leather and improving the sustainability of production.
With the introduction of the new material, BMW and MINI will reduce the proportion of parts containing traces of animal-derived materials to less than one percent. Such materials are used only in interior areas that are not visible to the customer, for different additives for protective coatings and paints.
And compared to leather steering wheels, the new steering wheel material emits 85 percent less CO2 across the entire value chain.
Uwe Khler, head of research and development for the BMW Group, said, “This innovative material can better cope with wear and tear caused by sweat and friction and has all the desirable properties of leather.”
BMW will also use floor mats made of a single material, avoiding the disadvantages of mixed materials that are difficult to recycle, and the BMW Group expects that this measure will enable the annual reduction of 23,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 1,600 tons of waste.
In addition to BMW, Rolls-Royce also previously announced that it will gradually use “artificial leather”, while Land Rover in the production of a new generation of Evoque on the renewable material made of 53 plastic bottles, but also the use of non-animal fur fibers made of fabric.
However, in the domestic market, consumers are obsessed with the so-called “leather” material and are afraid that they will not be able to accept such “innovation” in a short period of time.
