As part of their strategy to have 100% sustainable cars in the coming years, Volvo announced that it will stop using leather on all its models. The decision was made to reduce the CO2 footprint and to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
According to data provided by the automaker, livestock is responsible for 14% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the world, most of it coming from cattle. For this reason, the material will be replaced by high quality, sustainable options of biological and recycled origin.
Nordic, made from reusable components such as PET plastic bottles, cork and bio-attributed elements from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland, will replace leather.
Complete Sustainability Chain
Volvo assures that their environmentally friendly program not only seeks to eliminate carbon emissions, but all polluting elements. In this sense, Stuart Templar, Director of Global Sustainability at Volvo Cars emphasizes that being a vehicle manufacturer committed to progress means that they must consider all aspects of sustainability.
“Responsible sourcing, including respect for animal welfare, is an important part of this work. Moving away from using leather in the interior of pure electric vehicles is a good step to address this issue,” he added.
Read also: Tesla May Unveil the Model 2: A Vehicle With No Steering Wheel and Unprecedented Price
Templar believes that finding products and materials contributing to animal wellness is a complicated challenge, but that does not justify neglecting an important issue.
Volvo has also announced that it wants to reduce the use of residual products from livestock farming, such as those used to manufacture plastics, rubber, lubricants and adhesives.
The executives of the Swedish company assure that electrification and sustainable programs are a path worth pursuing. “Being forward-thinking and sustainable means that we have to ask tough questions and work tirelessly to find the answers,” Templar said.
The goal is that by 2030 the company will only offer all-electric and leather-free vehicles.
Written by I Jhonattan González
