PETA Honours Polestar for Vegan Interiors
PETA has given a Compassionate Business Award to Volvo-affiliated Polestar, whose highly anticipated Polestar 2 – its first fully electric mass-production vehicle – will include sumptuous vegan interiors as a standard feature.
In the launch presentation, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said he’d spare attendees the “disturbing video of mass production of leather” (but you can check out our exposé here) and explained the company’s decision:
“Our care for the environment goes beyond the electric drive chain. With the Polestar 2, we designed our interior offer to promote and accelerate the shift of the car industry towards leather-free interiors.”
These interiors include Weave Tech, a water- and dirt-repellent material inspired by scuba diving sportswear. Polestar joins several other luxury carmakers – including Tesla, Ferrari, and Mercedes-Benz – in offering plush, high-performing animal-free interiors.
Why Should Cars Be Leather-Free?
The leather industry is as toxic to the Earth as it is cruel to cows. A PETA video exposé revealed that calves are branded on the face and gentle cows and bulls are electroshocked and beaten before finally being slaughtered to be made into the leather interiors offered by the world’s largest car companies.
It takes an average of three cows’ hides to cover the interior of one standard car, turning animals’ skin into leather requires the use of 130 different chemicals – including cyanide – and leather production produces massive amounts of the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.
What You Can Do for Cows
Animal-free fabrics should be the go-to materials for all car manufacturers. Ask Jaguar, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo to stop fitting out their vehicles with animals’ skins:
