Volkswagen is engineering a new faux leather that would be right at home in Cheech and Chong’s Love Machine.
The German automaker has teamed up with Revoltech GmbH to research and develop a sustainable material based on industrial hemp.
The material is called LOVRTM — which stands for leather-free, oil-free, vegan and residue-based — and is made from 100% bio-based hemp from the regional hemp industry, Volkswagen said in a press release announcing the project.
The hemp fibers and a bio-based adhesive are combined and processed to create a surface material that looks like leather specifically for the automotive industry. It can be produced using existing industrial facilities and recycled or composted at the end of its lifecycle.
Andreas Walingen, head of strategy at Volkswagen, said the project’s goal is to “fuse customer wishes, sustainability requirements and corporate interests” in a way that benefits all parties. Basically, LOVRTM is a win-win-win for the planet, customers and governments seeking to enforce sustainability regulations.
Volkswagen says a prototype of the material has garnered positive responses and feedback from customers, but we shouldn’t expect to see it in vehicles until 2028.
We just want to know what everyone else is wondering: Can we smoke our seats?