Vegan Leather Becomes Leather for the Luxury Car of the Future

Mercedes-Benz said a few days ago that in an effort to become carbon neutral by 2039, it has introduced a number of new processes and new materials into its vehicle lineup, with vehicles that will consist of an average of 40 percent recycled materials.

To achieve this, Mercedes-Benz is seeking synthetic leather with a genuine leather feel – a leather alternative made from cactus fiber powder and fungal mycelium, which could help customers avoid using natural leather in their vehicles. At the same time, they also indicated that the program is still under study.
If a customer does require natural leather, Mercedes-Benz will start exclusively supplying sustainably sourced leather. To achieve this, Mercedes-Benz will be looking at everything from livestock raising to tanning. Leather will only be sourced from suppliers that comply with animal welfare rules, and the supply chain must be free of any form of illegal deforestation, and the tanning process must be chrome-free.