Volvo's all pure electric models to go leather-free, starting with C40 Recharge
Volvo Cars has announced that all its new fully-electric vehicles will be offered completely leather-free as the carmaker joins the list of few consumer brands taking an ethical stand for animal welfare. Volvo will start the shift towards leather-free products beginning with the new C40 Recharge.
The leather interior options inside Volvo Cars will be replaced with alternatives such as high-quality sustainable materials made from bio-based and recycled sources. For example, Volvo's new car interior material - Nordico - consists of textiles made from recycled PET bottles, bio-attributed material from sustainable forests and recycled corks. The auto maker will continue offering wool blend interior options from suppliers that are certified to source responsibly.
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As the company plans to also offer only fully electric cars by 2030, all of them leather-free, it aims to own a completely new family of vehicles. As Volvo looks to achieve this feat of sustainability, it is actively looking for more high-quality and sustainable alternatives for many materials currently used in the vehicles. “Finding products and materials that support animal welfare will be challenging, but that is no reason to avoid this important issue," said Stuart Templar, director of global sustainability at Volvo Cars.
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In the next four years, Volvo Cars aims that 25 per cent of materials used in all its new vehicles are recycled and bio-based, taking it closer to the goal of becoming a fully circular business by 2040. Further, the company has urged all of its immediate suppliers, including material suppliers, to use 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025.
The company is also looking to reduce the use of residual products from livestock production, that are commonly used within or during the production of plastics, rubber, lubricants and adhesives. “This is a journey worth taking. Having a truly progressive and sustainable mindset means we need to ask ourselves difficult questions and actively try and find answers," said Templar.
