Volkswagen is teaming up with a German hemp company to produce a cannabis-based leather alternative for its vehicles.
In the interest of exploring sustainable materials for its cars, Volkwagen announced last week that it will be working with the start-up business Revoltech GmbH to incorporate hemp into its automobile manufacturing, potentially beginning with its 2028 models.
This comes months after Germany’s marijuana legalization law went into effect.
The industrial hemp that’s being used to produce the leather alternative will be sourced from regional farms. Volkswagen said the material will be “100 percent bio-based hemp uses residues” that cannabis cultivators no longer have use for.
“In our search for new materials, we are very open to new ideas from many different industries,” Kai Grünitz, Volkswagen’s brand board member for technical development, said in a press release. “At Technical Development, we place a strong focus on innovative, creative and sustainable solutions for holistic, resource-saving vehicle development.”
The hemp material will be “leather-free, oil-free, vegan and residue-based,” or LOVR, the company said. Residual hemp fiber will be “combined using a special technology and processed to become a surface material.”
Andreas Walingen, head of strategy at Volkswagen, said the company’s “clear goal is to
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