People still use animals in many different ways, not just for food and clothing. Car companies buy hides and furs to upholster their interiors. The vegan’s journey doesn’t end with giving up meat and leather boots – buying a car where the seats are upholstered in animal skin is also unethical. But there are always options. About them we will talk.
Mostly cattle skins are used for upholstery: cows, bulls, calves. But there are car manufacturers, who are trying to follow the general trend of fighting for ecology and environmental protection, so they refuse to use natural leather. For leather seats, there has long been a special substitute – eco leather. This fabric is coated with polyurethane, it is neither externally nor by its qualities is inferior to the real leather. However, many manufacturers are still choosing animal materials.
Some types of upholstery that are used in modern cars:
Natural leather – calf, cow or bovine leather, it is used in the upholstery of car seats and doors. Divided into several types, they differ somewhat in quality and price.
Eco-leather – artificial leather, which is a fabric (cotton or polyester) with a coating of polyurethane. As a substitute for leather, it appeared in the 60’s and is often used in modern cars. Immediately here we should note that it is not a leatherette, by its properties ill-suited for the upholstery of car interiors – it is rougher and less pleasant to the touch, which would make any long trip problematic.
Alcantara is an artificial suede, it is also sometimes used to upholster car interiors. Alcantara was partly used when SpaceX created the Crew Dragon in order to maximize comfort for the crew.
The difference between leather and imitation leather
Leather is traditionally considered a premium solution for cars. At the same time, there are many articles on specialized automotive websites in which the comfort of leather is subjected to skepticism. Still, leather – a fairly expensive material, even for car companies, which often cover only part of the cabin with genuine leather, and the rest – its substitutes. Moreover, it is often very difficult to distinguish the natural leather from the substitute – the texture, color and touch sensation are almost identical.
Eco leather in this respect is somewhat cheaper than leather and somewhat easier to produce. In addition, polyurethane is quite wear-resistant – it can be used as a substitute for rubber, they make soles for shoes, so it is also suitable for use in the manufacture of car seats. Like leather, this cruelty free counterpart is impervious to moisture, which is very important if you have a spill in the cabin water, or you transport animals. Needless to say, this type of upholstery is more expensive than cloth upholstery.
Alcantara is also wear-proof material, but it detains moisture worse – but it is good for washing and wet cleaning. One of its “disadvantages”, compared to leather and its analogues – a higher price. It does not resemble leather or eco leather, neither by its properties, nor by the method of production. Being an artificial suede, it is quite a pleasant to the touch material, with a texture different from that of leather.
Another point worth mentioning is the “prestige” of leather, which has persisted for years in the minds of consumers. Apparently, this too will change, given the disadvantages of natural leather and its high cost, as well as the spread of awareness among consumers. Today we can already talk about the prestige of eco-leather, in addition, we can see the movement of global trends in the direction of ecology. That is why companies and many organizations that work with leather are increasingly preferring its analogues – it is increasingly being used in high-end cars as a sign of premium quality. Therefore, the indisputable respectability of eco-leather will increase over the years. Read also about best tuner for silverado 5.3.
So what car should a vegan choose?
A person who does not want to encourage the suffering of animals with a ruble, it is important that all the services and products that he buys are ethical. Therefore, the choice of transport, if it is necessary, should be approached as consciously.
Do not use natural leather Toyota (also uses bioplastic) including models of the new Lexus. In addition to them – Jaguar, Landrover, Mini, Maserati, Lamborgini. Electric cars Tesla and Bentley give up leather interiors (though recently 7 to 20 skins were used for the interior).
Indeed, Toyota uses synthetic leather Softex for the interiors, Mercedes – its counterpart called Artico since 2003, and BMW – at once several types of synthetic leather. The conservative Bentley brand officially explained the choice in favor of synthetic leather as a step in the direction of the global corresponding trend to the desire of people to be “younger” (more modern, trendy – ed.) and more sporty, which is directly facilitated by eco leather.
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