Volvo will do away with genuine leather in electric car interiors

Buyers will be offered recycled alternatives. Volvo has decided to stop using leather – but only for the time being in the interiors of electric cars.

The company’s desire to make the switch to recyclable materials as quickly as possible is based on ethical principles and the desire to reduce the carbon footprint. After all, livestock production today accounts for 14 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and the expansion of pastures threatens forests and leads to a loss of biodiversity.

By 2025, the plan is for the new Volvo to use 25 per cent recycled and bio-based materials. The process of transition to a circular economy will be completed by 2040. Ten years before that, all of the brand’s cars will switch to electricity and there will, of course, be no natural leather in them.

As an alternative, upholstery made of ethically produced blended wool and materials based on organic raw materials will be offered. One of these is called Nordico, developed by Volvo itself. It is a mixture of synthetic textiles derived from recycled plastic bottles; bio-based materials from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland; and cork wood, a waste product from the wine industry. Nordico will appear in Volvo cars in the coming years.

The plan is for new Volvo cars to contain 25 percent recycled and bio-based materials by 2025. The process of transitioning to a circular economy will be completed by 2040. Ten years before that, all Volvo cars will be electric and of course there will be no leather.

Volvo would do without leather in electric cars

As an alternative, upholstery made of ethically produced blended wool and materials based on organic raw materials will be offered. One of these is called Nordico, developed by Volvo itself. It is a mixture of synthetic textiles derived from recycled plastic bottles; bio-based materials from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland; and cork wood, a waste product from the wine industry. The Nordico will appear in Volvo cars in the coming years.

It’s more about electric cars, while the interiors of fuel-powered cars will continue to be lined with leather. Not just any leather, but made at Scottish factory Bridge of Weir. By the way, the same leather can be found in the interior of McLaren GT, Callum Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged coupe, Lister Stealth crossover and Bentley Blower Continuation replica.