'Vegan Leather': The top animal-friendly car brands

• What is 'vegan leather'?
• Which car brands are vegan-friendly?
• Vegan-friendly car brands ranked

This story, ranking the automotive brands with the most vegan-friendly animal-safe car interiors, was first published in January 2022.

In the months since then, more and more brands have begun singing to the heavens in praise of artificial leather-like materials – and, more often than not, these days the materials of choice are also free of the oil-based plastic polymers PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and polyurethane to make what was historically known as vinyl.

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Kia makes use of recycled PET plastics in its EV6, our 2022 Car of the Year

What are animal-safe, vegan-friendly and environment-friendly leather and other fabric made from?

Most popular these days, if only for the bragging rights, are inventive and versatile natural materials like bamboo, cork, coffee grounds, cactus leaves and more, along with that old favourite, wool.

Of course, ocean plastics are the latest fad for many brands across all sorts of industries, offering the rare opportunity for a brand to declare it is working not only to reduce reliance on chemicals and oil, but even better – they're actively working to clean up our mess.

One of the more recent programs, representing something of a grey area for some, is Polestar's use of genuine leather sourced as a 'byproduct' of the food industry, and only from farms where the livestock was raised with care and slaughtered 'humanely'. (The RSPCA definition of humane killing is: 'when an animal is either killed instantly or rendered insensible until death ensues, without pain, suffering or distress'.)

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All Polestar 3 EVs feature a block of text on the backrest of each front seat, proudly declaring the carbon footprint of the material chosen.

Polestar at least points out that genuine leather is strictly a cost option in its line-up, and its standard trims are “bio-attributed MicroTech”, a synthetic ‘vegan leather’ made largely from recycled polyester. (And not from vegans...)

The trend looks set to explode, too, with research suggesting the global market for synthetic leather will be valued at $106 billion by 2030 – double its valuation in 2021.

So which brands are doing the most to lead the race for vegan-friendly cars? Read on. 👇

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January 2022: Top 'vegan leather' animal-friendly car brands ranked

Ben Zachariah

The growing popularity of veganism in recent years – a lifestyle which seeks to avoid using animal products – has forced many carmakers to consider alternatives to materials such as leather.

Multiple Formula 1 champion Sir Lewis Hamilton is arguably the most famous vegan in the motoring world, with awareness for the philosophy slowly increasing throughout the community recently.

While Toyota is known for favouring a velour interior for its luxury flagship Century limousine, Mercedes-Benz is perhaps the best known, with buyers opting for the hardy but supple MB-Tex vinyl for decades.

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But other brands are starting to catch up. A new study from UK dealership Dick Lovett has ranked car companies in terms of how many vegan-friendly models each has on offer.

Most major manufacturers offer at least one vegan car on the menu, but it was Ford that topped the list, with 28 models offering animal-free interiors.

Vegan-friendly car brands ranked

Source: Dick Lovett, January 2022

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