Tesla leading auto industry's use of vegan leather. Details here

Automakers are increasingly focusing on sustainable material sources for use in their vehicles. Their suppliers, too have been focusing on supplying sustainable materials, keeping pace with the auto industry's demand. Tesla, too is no different. The US electric car major uses Vegan leather in its cars' seats. Supplier of vegan leather to Tesla, Ultrafabrics claims that this material can be used anywhere, replacing animal leather.

In an interaction with Bloomberg, Noboru Yoshimura, president of the Tokyo-based vegan leather manufacturer, has claimed that with more and more people using the leather, the company is consciously developing premium products. “We’re consciously developing premium products, and that strategy is in line with the times," he said further.

The auto industry is a consumer of a large leather volume, as it is extensively used in car seats and cabin upholstery. Now, with environmentally conscious consumers seeking out products that don't involve the slaughter of animals, automakers are increasingly focusing on alternative sources for the materials. Such leather-like materials are produced sustainably and are claimed to come with lower weight, save on fuel, and reduce carbon emissions. This has resulted in the global synthetic leather market proliferating. The market size is expected to reach $67.2 billion by 2030, claims Straits Research.

With many environmentally conscious buyers concerned about the use of animal products in cars, there has been a demand to make vehicles all vegan. Tesla, responding to that demand has been using only synthetic leather in its cars since 2016. Among other companies, Land Rover has followed the suit by including the material among seating options. The new Range Rover SV comes using synthetic leather in its cabin.

The report claims that electric vehicles appear as a key driver of growth for vegan leather. Katsuhiko Ishibashi, an analyst at Ichiyoshi Research Institute Inc., said that electric vehicle manufacturers are increasing their use of synthetic leather. "EV makers like Tesla are increasing their use of synthetic leather," he said.