Sustainable materials are sparking joy in new cars

Sustainable materials are sparking joy in new cars

You might remember the days gone by when long-haired skateboarders wore ragged hoodies and blamed their skunky musk on the clothing’s hemp-based fabrics. Perhaps you even attended a local auto show and found a small booth hidden away near the back that showcased “sustainable upholstery materials” made from “recycled plastics”. 

What was once a vague attempt at increasing sustainability within the textiles industry has now become more mainstream than you might have even realized. These days, major manufacturers like BMW, Volkswagen, and Mazda all offer sustainable materials of some sort in their interior cabin environments–and that’s just the beginning. 

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Hemp-Based BMW Cockpit Concept

AI Generated Image

Sustainable materials have already become relatively commonplace in the automotive industry

BMW is a major proponent for sustainable upholstery materials. In many of their vehicles, if you choose not to opt for genuine leather, their “Veganza” material comes standard. Made to look and feel like real leather, this synthetic, animal-free material benefits from reduced surface C02 emissions, uses less water and energy to produce, and doesn’t rely on cows which produce huge amounts of methane gas. 

But, BMW has been experimenting with sustainable materials for quite some time now. When BMW released the i3 for the 2013 model year, it featured various sustainable materials throughout its interior, including hemp-based fabrics, eucalyptus wood, and kenaf–a natural fibre. 

2013 BMW i3

BMW

According to one of the i3’s designers and BMW Group Design’s current sustainability strategist, Daniela Bohlinger, “The eucalyptus tree is naturally resistant to moisture and therefore requires around 90% less surface finishing. It is also one of the fastest growing tree species, reaching a height of 60 metres.” For these reasons, the BMW i3’s cabin features unique, eucalyptus wood trim accents.

Even if you did opt for the added-cost, genuine leather interior, BMW made sure to stick to the i3’s sustainable ethos by using olive leaf extract for leather tanning, which “retains [the] breathability and the softness of aniline leather”, according to Bohlinger. 

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“Materia: The Garden of Possibilities”

BMW

Since the i3’s release, BMW has continued to research and develop new materials and ideas to enhance the sustainability of their products. “Materia: The Garden of Possibilities,” for example, was an exhibition put on by BMW to showcase experiments in the field of sustainable textiles and upholstery. This exhibit showcased materials made from some incredibly unexpected sources, such as mycelium, which is the root network of a mushroom. 

Mycelium – A Mushroom’s Root Network

BMW

BMW isn’t alone in its quest for sustainability

It’s not just the Bavarians who seek sustainability from their cabin upholstery. Volkswagen has developed imitation leather from industrial hemp. According to VW, “The material made from 100% bio-based hemp uses residue of the regional hemp industry. It can be produced from existing industrial plants and recycled or composted at the end of its service life in an automobile.” 

Imitation Leather from Industrial Hemp

Volkswagen

Mazda has taken the sustainable material pill, too, and used it as an opportunity to pay homage to their brand’s heritage. You see, before the Mazda we all know and love produced passenger cars, it operated as a cork manufacturer in Hiroshima, Japan. Eventually, Toyo Cork Kogyo began manufacturing small, three-wheeled trucks under the name Toyo Kogyo, and later began producing passenger cars as Mazda

As a subtle nod to Mazda’s unconventional origins, for Mazda’s contemporary electric vehicle–the MX-30–the brand “turned to cork and the present-day Uchiyama Kogyo company […] for a sustainable, stylish and durable material to use in the cabin of Mazda’s first battery electric production car,” according to Mazda

Related: 2025 BMW X3 is a technological extravaganza

Mazda MX-30 Cork Interior Elements

Mazda

Final thoughts

Sustainable materials provide intriguing opportunities for auto manufacturers to increase brand sustainability and integrate environmentally-friendly elements into each of their vehicles. Reducing the environmental impact associated with the automotive production process, even if by a small margin, is a feat worth celebrating. 

Above and beyond their environmental impact, the integration of sustainable materials allows automakers opportunities to employ distinctive and unique interior designs with patterns and textures never before seen in automobile interiors. These days, the thought of sitting on deceased animal skin isn’t exactly the appetizing proposition it once was, and I suspect we’ll see more and more upholstery in new automobiles made from innovative products that reduce the environmental impacts associated with leather and plastic production. 

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