Volkswagen's New 100% Hemp Based Leather Alternative
The idea is to devise sustainable textiles from industrial hemp that can be used in VW models from 2028.
Volkswagen has linked up with German start-up Revoltech GmbH from Darmstadt. The purpose is to research and devise sustainable textiles based on industrial hemp that can be used as an endurable upholstery material in Volkswagen models going forward from 2028.
The new material in question is made from 100% bio-based hemp and utilises residues from the provincial hemp industry. It can also be recycled or composted at the end of its life in the vehicle. The first exhibitions of this ingenious material have already obtained extremely positive feedback from customers.
“In our search for new materials, we are very open to new ideas from many different industries. At Technical Development, we strongly focus on innovative, creative and sustainable solutions for holistic, resource-saving vehicle development.” Kai Grünitz, Volkswagen Technical Development:
“The sustainable use of resources is a key pillar in our ACCELERATE strategy and is therefore firmly anchored in our mindset and our actions. Our clear goal is to fuse customer wishes, sustainability requirements and corporate interests.” Andreas Walingen, Head of Strategy at Volkswagen:
Additionally, he stated that the collaboration between Revoltech and Volkswagen was a great illustration of the advantages for start-ups and established companies to gain from the targeted medley of their strengths – to bring new features ready for use in vehicles as quickly as possible.
“Our innovative surface material called LOVR™ that we are developing and testing for the automotive industry in cooperation with Volkswagen is scalable and groundbreaking for sustainability in the automotive sector.” :Lucas Fuhrmann, CEO and co-founder Revoltech GmbH
What is the New Hemp Material?
The idea has been to create a textile to act as an alternative for replica leather. This material is made from industrial hemp produced for the food industry and is a natural, unaffected, 100% biological single-layered cover material known as LOVRTM ( leather-free, oil-free, vegan and residue-based) that is in the process of development with the automotive industry specifically in mind.
Hemp fibres and a fully bio-based sealant are merged using special technology and processed to become a surface material. This material originates from provincial hemp fields and is completely recyclable or compostable once at the end of its service life. It is created from remains of the hemp industry that have no additional use. Additionally, it can be fabricated on living industrial plants, enabling speedy scalability – and making it suitable for large-scale production.
Volkswagen’s Materials Technology, Design, and Components Development departments, Volkswagen Group Innovation and Revoltech GmbH start-up are combining their knowledge and experience to incorporate as many viewpoints as conceivable in the development work.
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Liz Filmer
