Sustainability has become a big part of the car market, especially when it comes to luxury vehicles, and it continues to grow all the time. Volvo has already committed to becoming an all-electric company by 2030, but sustainability is about more than just what fuels a given vehicle. That's why Volvo is working to develop a range of sustainable materials to be used in the construction of new vehicles. With the C40 Recharge's leather-free interior being the first step towards this goal.
Luxury Without Leather
While the C40 Recharge is already an excellent example of Volvo's commitment to sustainability, just thanks to its all-electric drivetrain, you might not know is that the luxurious interior is made without any leather. Cloth upholstery in cars has of course been around for as long as cars themselves, but it is usually used as a budget alternative to leather, and can't compete with leather for comfort. What makes Volvo's materials work so important is that it won't ask you to sacrifice comfort in the name of sustainability. It is because the interior of the C40 Recharge is so luxurious that you might not even notice that it doesn't contain leather.
A New Generation of Sustainable Materials
Volvo's next generation of electric vehicles was previewed in the Volvo Cars Concept Recharge, a vehicle that was hugely important for a number of reasons. One of these being the advanced sustainable materials that went into building it. Nordico is an interior material developed by Volvo that is made from bio-attributed materials, as well as recycled plastic water bottles and corks recycled from the wine industry. This new material will be used in Volvo's future electric vehicles, and Volvo plans to have 25% of all materials used in new Volvo vehicles consist of recycled or bio-based materials by 2025.
Volvo recently acquired Bcomp, a Swiss firm that makes natural fiber composites that have already been used to replace plastics used inside and out on the Volvo Cars Concept Recharge. This is part of Volvo's bigger plan to be a totally circular, climate-neutral company by 2040. It wants to be known for sustainability the same way it's known for safety.
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