Volkswagen has announced it has partnered with Germany’s Revoltech to research and develop materials based on industrial hemp waste – including imitation leather.
The material, named LOVR, is leather-free, oil-free, vegan, residue-based, recyclable and compostable. It is based on waste from hemp cultivated for the food industry, which is combined with a plant-based adhesive. LOVR is moldable and non-abrasive and can be produced in a variety of textures. According to Volkswagen, LOVR can be manufactured using existing industrial equipment, enabling rapid scalability and large scale production.
With no fossil-fuel based plastic in its composition, LOVR also addresses the issue of micro-plastics that are finding their way into everything – including our own bodies.
“The first presentations of the innovative material have already received a very positive response and feedback from customers,” says the firm.
LOVR could be used as a surface material for car interiors in Volkswagen vehicle models from 2028. Beyond the automotive industry, LOVR can also be utilised for furniture, footwear and clothing.
“In our search for new materials, we are very open to new ideas from many different industries,” said Volkswagen’s Kai Grünitz. “At Technical Development, we place a strong focus on innovative, creative and sustainable solutions for holistic, resource-saving vehicle development.”
Volkswagen Group is aiming to become a net-carbon-neutral company. It also joined the Leather Working Group (LWG) in April 2023, improving its transparency and responsibility in the leather supply chain. Perhaps hemp will provide a pathway to ditching the use of animal leather altogether, although that doesn’t appear to be a stated aim.
Revoltech was officially founded in 2021 and is a spin-off company from TU Darmstadt. Earlier this year, Revoltech scored a Techtextil Innovation Award for LOVR, in the “New Concept” category. The judges commented that LOVR could “fundamentally change traditional leather and artificial leather”.
Volkswagen isn’t the first vehicle manufacturer to explore incorporating hemp materials. BMW has been dabbling in this space for some years, and Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire S2 Mulholland has some components made from hemp. But probably the first auto company to consider hemp components was Ford back in 1941. While a material was developed, it wasn’t used in production Ford vehicles for reasons unknown.
Vehicle bioplastics and textiles are among the myriad applications for industrial hemp.
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