Volvo has announced that its future electric vehicles won’t’ feature any leather products as part of an ‘ethical stand for animal welfare’.
It ties in with the firm’s plans to offer only electric vehicles by 2030 – all of which will be leather-free.
By 2025, Volvo plans to ensure that 25 per cent of the material in its cars comes from recycled and bio-based sources and it wants its immediate suppliers to use 100 per cent renewable energy by the same date, too.
In order to do this, Volvo is already sourcing high-quality sustainability providers for many of the materials it uses in its cars.
Stuart Templar, director of global sustainability at Volvo, said: “Being a progressive car maker means we need to address all areas of sustainability, not just CO2 emissions.
“Responsible sourcing is an important part of that work, including respect for animal welfare. Going leather-free inside our pure electric cars is a good next step towards addressing this issue.”
Volvo will switch out the leather traditionally used in its cars for alternatives such as Nordico. Developed by the firm itself, it’s crafted from recycled materials such as PET bottles, and bio-attributed material from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland. It uses recycled corks from the wine industry, too.
In addition, Volvo is aiming to reduce the use of residual products from livestock production in plastics, rubber, lubricants and adhesives. In a statement, the firm said that: “By aiming to actively replace these materials as much as possible, Volvo Cars takes a strong and ethical position to do what it can to help stop animal harm, by contributing to a reduced demand for these materials containing animal products.”
