Following reports Tesla’s plastic seats bubble and deteriorate over time, many of the electric cars are being retrofitted with real leather.
Tesla has advised drivers to wipe seats and headrests clean after EVERY journey following complaints about the quality and durability of the synthetic material they are covered in.
The company has stopped using leather and now uses plastic alternatives for the upholstery of its cars. According to the Times of London, after complaints about bubbling and deterioration, the company has advised a cleaning regime following EVERY use. Now, some owners are retrofitting their cars with real leather.
Tesla is not alone. Volvo has also stopped using leather with the Swedish company’s director of global sustainability saying: “We’re taking a stand because we want to do what’s best for animal welfare and the climate.”
Stephen Sothmann, President of The Leather and Hide Council of America, whose member companies recycle about 30 per cent of the world’s hides for leather said: “We categorically reject Volvo’s suggestion that by removing leather from its electric vehicles it will somehow impact animal welfare.”
He added: “There is not a farmer in the world who is raising cattle for leather. Hides and skins are the inevitable by-product of meat and dairy production, and if not recycled for leather, will simply be sent to landfill or burned. Volvo’s announcement contributes to this story of waste and, ironically, the use of more fossil fuels to make these plastics.”
Real Leather. Stay Different. View: We love the move to electric and we’re not saying that this is greenwashing, but it does sound like jumping on an ‘electric’ bandwagon. Millions of hides are thrown away ever year as waste. Swapping natural, resilient material such as leather for plastic made from oil, continues this cycle at a time when we should be entering a new, clean, green era that takes a holistic view on sustainability. We find that, normally, natural is best and this just doesn’t make sense.
Josslyn Shi from California College of Art has been crowned Overall Winner of the Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition at a glittering final event held at the U.S. Embassy in London.
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Dorcas Shoko is a 19 year old student from Harare, Zimbabwe. Having studied A-Level Art, Maths and Physics at Lomagundi College, Dorcus is looking to progress into the fashion industry. She wants to make a positive impact in the leather world, so her project
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