As the industry transitions to a zero-emissions future, the environmental impact of supply chains is being more rigorously scrutinized. However, Scotland-based Bridge of Weir Leather is concerned that both automakers and consumers are being “greenwashed” by makers of new non-animal materials often called “vegan leathers,” which are increasingly gaining publicity based on claims they outperform leather when it comes to welfare and sustainability. So, the leading supplier of fine automotive leather to the world’s luxury car brands—such as Aston Martin, McLaren, Jaguar Land Rover, and Polestar—is calling for a step change in transparency around the sustainability claims of synthetic automotive interior materials.

According to Bridge of Weir, a brand within the Scottish Leather Group, a recent report by the Filk Frieberg Institute uncovered the presence of plastics in a range of leather alternatives. The company says that fossil-fuel-derived materials do not biodegrade safely or efficiently and, because they are often composites, cannot be fully recycled, posing a major environmental problem. It says that such products also do not last as long and aren’t as robust as leather, leading to more frequent replacement and resulting in a significant volume having to be made each year that re-enters the cycle.

The leather supplier says that materials based on recycled plastics are also not as green as claimed, often requiring new virgin plastic material for full manufacturing, introducing an environmental issue rather than solving one. This was recently backed up by the World Wildlife Fund, which also called out the use of plastic in non-animal materials while highlighting the key role leather has to play in the fight against deforestation.

Bridge of Weir believes that greater transparency is needed, enabling automakers and consumers to make informed decisions regarding the provenance and impact of materials. It calls on automotive material manufacturers to fully reveal their supply chain and the true environmental impact of products, enabling the verification of their green claims.

“Car makers and consumers are being led to believe that many non-animal materials, which can be made from various plant-based products or recycled plastic bottles, perform better and are more sustainable than real leather,” said Dr. Warren Bowden, Head of Sustainability & Innovation, Bridge of Weir. “But this isn’t the case and there is real concern they are being greenwashed. Unlike leather, synthetic materials created using fossil fuels do not biodegrade. They litter oceans and soils with debris and microplastics and cause tremendous damage to biodiversity. The materials industry must be more transparent on its sustainability claims enabling both car companies and consumers to make fully informed decisions.”

Leather is a byproduct of the meat industry, with no cattle ever bred for its hide, according to the company. With global beef consumption rising, it believes that the leather industry plays a crucial role in circularity, upcycling hides that would otherwise become landfill where they would emit hundreds of tonnes of methane each year.

“It is here that the claims around the emissions contribution of leather vs non-animal materials are also awash with misinformation,” added Bowden. “Automotive leather comes from cows, which also provide meat, dairy, animal glues, and leather to other industries. Usage in a car interior is a tiny part of the equation, equating to just 1% of the economic value of the carcass, further underlining why no animal is ever bred for its hide alone.”

Bridge of Weir says it plays a key role in supporting automakers’ carbon reduction targets through its long-term commitment to responsible and sustainable leather manufacturing driven by a series of multi-million-pound investments implemented over the last twenty years. Since 2003, it has pioneered and patented circular manufacturing processes that minimize waste to landfill and radically reduce its carbon footprint, while its Thermal Energy Plant reclaims energy as steam and uses a proportion of this heat to directly power its tannery.

The company says that leather is the ultimate upcycled material made via a “circular” low-impact manufacturing process. All the raw hides used by it in leather-making are a by-product of the local beef and dairy industries, of which over 98% are sourced locally within the UK and Ireland. It sources local water from its own loch. Its water treatment and recycling plant enables the recycling of up to 40% of treated water back into use within production, and its tannery uses 50% less water per hide than the industry standard.

It says it is the only automotive leather manufacturer to publish an independently verified lifecycle analysis of the product and makes the lowest carbon leather for the sector, helping its customers reduce their carbon impact on the planet without offsetting. The raw hides used to make its leather are always sourced from responsible suppliers with 100% traceability and without risk of deforestation.

“Leather’s environmental credentials are one of its most important advantages,” concluded Bowden. “It is one of the oldest forms of upcycling and the irony is, if it were invented today, leather would be considered ground-breaking. We pride ourselves on employing leading environmental practices—and call on the automotive materials industry to do the same. Only by being transparent around the supply chain and manufacturing practices can car companies and consumers know the true sustainability of a material—and make a genuinely informed choice.”