Automakers are all looking for solutions that promote sustainability. Of course, the most spectacular and revolutionary approach is electrification. However, there are other ways to reduce your footprint and be more responsible.
This is the case with interior design. We have begun to see this with several electric models, with manufacturers making efforts to use recycled materials.
At BMW, after offering several electric vehicles and slowly moving towards production from renewable energy, the company is ready to take the next step and introduce fully vegan interiors.
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We'll start to see this next year when some variants of certain BMW and Mini models will be offered with fully vegan interiors where traditional leather will have been replaced with new materials that are leather-like in surface, appearance, and strength.
BMW believes that the demand for leather-free interiors will grow significantly in the coming years, especially in the American, European, and Chinese markets. With its initiative, BMW wants to get a head start.
And for those who wonder what impact it might have on the environment, the site reporting the news, Motor1, has some interesting data. With the introduction of a leather-like material for steering wheels, BMW and Mini will reduce the proportion of components containing traces of animal raw materials to less than one percent. These materials will only be used in areas of the interior that are not visible to the customer for protective coatings and various paint additives. Then, a fascinating fact. The use of this new type of steering wheel reduces CO2 emissions (over the entire cycle) by about 85 percent compared to a leather steering wheel surface.
And other solutions will be put forward as well, including mats that will avoid the more difficult to recycle mixtures.
What will be interesting to watch is how consumers, as well as BMW's competitors, will react. One thing is certain, the more sustainable materials are used in vehicles, the better for the environment.