BMW has announced that BMW and Mini models will have vegan interiors from 2023. The German firm experimented with animal-free interiors in 2020 and since then have been toying with the idea of using cactus and fully bio-based (plastic-free, biodegradable) materials for their interiors.
With environmental consciousness becoming the order of the day, BMW is committed towards reducing its CO2 emissions and becoming an eco-friendly brand. The Group also claims that the demand for vegan interiors will increase in the US, China and Europe.
BMW’s team is working on eco-friendly materials that have leather like properties. By replacing leather with these materials, BMW will be able to reduce its CO2 emissions in interior components by around 85 percent.
The car’s will also feature a new steering wheel material which will have a new grain effect.
“With a steering wheel made from a high-quality vegan surface material, we are fulfilling the wishes of our customers who do not want to make any compromises in terms of look, feel and functionality. The innovative material withstands wear and tear caused by abrasion, perspiration and moisture and has all the desirable properties of leather,” says Uwe Köhler, Head of Development Body, Exterior Trim, Interior at the BMW Group.
That’s not all as all the Mini and BMW models launched from 2025 are all set to have trim parts made of a special plastic whose raw material will be containing around 30 percent recycled fishing nets and ropes. Using these maritimes sources will also reduce the pollution present on the ports all around the world.
Incorporating the waste material from the maritime industry to produce interior and exterior parts will help in reducing the carbon footprint of these materials by approximately 25 percent as compared to plastic ones.
