Vegan Interiors For BMW, Mini Coming Soon
The shift from leather will help reduce CO2e emissions by 85 per cent.
In the current era, every automotive player has one common goal – to go carbon neutral. Yes, the timelines might not match among them but eventually, that is something all are aiming for to survive. The BMW Group is very much part of the list, and it aims to achieve climate neutrality latest by 2050. And although it has been pushing environment-friendly solutions in its products for years, moving away from animal-sourced leather has remained an untapped area. That will change soon, as BMW and Mini models will soon be available with vegan interiors.
In 2023, BMW Group will introduce the first models with vegan interiors. And that move will help increase sustainability in vehicle production. Even steering wheels will feature a new surface material, a move that will reduce traces of animal-sourced raw materials to less than one per cent in BMW and Mini vehicles. That minuscule quantity will come from non-visual stuff such as protective coatings, paints, and elastomers.
As per Uwe Kohler, Head of Development Body, Exterior Trim, and Interior at BMW Group,
With a steering wheel made from a high-quality vegan surface material, we are fulfilling the wishes of our customers who do not want to make any compromises in terms of look, feel and functionality. The innovative material withstands wear and tear caused by abrasion, perspiration and moisture and has all the desirable properties of leather.
BMW Group says that leather-free surfaces reduce CO2e emissions by 85 per cent. Up until now, the major chunk of emissions, about 80 per cent, came from the methane gas produced during cattle rearing. The remainder is accounted for by cowhide processing, which is highly energy- and water-intensive.
People around the world are becoming more environmentally conscious. They will surely appreciate BMW Group’s efforts in reducing animal cruelty. The automotive group says that the use of vegan interiors will increase in the future, especially in the USA, China, and Europe.
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