As a performance EV auto manufacturer, Polestar prioritises sustainability in the manufacture of its vehicles but refrains from using the word “vegan” to describe its products or manufacturing processes.

Polestar 2023 Nappa leather seats

Polestar’s global head of sustainability, Fredrika Klarén, stated at a media event in Sydney that sustainability goes beyond the fuel used to propel the car, it encompasses the whole production process.

She was also prepared to discuss the vegan movement in the context of the automotive sector. “It’s a term that is greenwash, because you cannot say that a car is vegan. We have animal products all over the place. We have grease, we have animal content in synthetics in plastics,” she said.

Synthetic leather is excluded as an option in Poestar 2 due to the extensive use of PVC in the material, according to Klarén.

“Yes, you can have a vegan upholstery alternative like we have. We want to ensure that as a vegan, you’ll have an alternative to move away from leather if you buy a Polestar 2. But we will never make a claim that we have provided you with a completely vegan car,” Klarén added.

Polstar has said that it would be prepared to move away from leather if it could find a material with similar performance characteristics such as sustainability and longevity.

So far. no such material has been discovered so Bridge of Weir Nappa is still the order of the day.