23 December 2022

There are many anecdotal reports online about Tesla owners complaining that their car seats and headrests are prone to damage such as bubbling. This has been blamed variously on the use of lotions, cleaning solutions or even hair products. While One 4 Leather cannot comment specifically on the Tesla cases, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that so-called ‘synthetic leathers’ required by manufacturers who promote vegan car interiors do not perform as well as genuine leather for cars.

 

 

Natural properties of leather

A report by FILK (the Research Institute for Leather and Synthetic Materials) demonstrated that no single ‘leather alternative’ matches all of automotive leather’s characteristics. Particularly in terms of water vapour permeability and absorption, leather outperforms them all.

Sustainable leather is naturally resilient

The report also demonstrates that leather is also superior to its competitors in terms of how long it lasts. In tests of durability such a flex and tear resistance it outperforms them all. To highlight the durability and flexibility of leather, we put together a cool little animation. As it shows, thanks to its natural fibres, leather has excellent tensile strength and is more resistant to tearing than synthetics.

In addition, unlike leather, the synthetic substitute is unlikely to be repairable if something goes wrong – like tearing or bubbling. The only choice is to throw it away. Most vegan alternatives to leather use plastics in some form or other – particularly as backings – so these materials will not biodegrade like leather and are likely to contribute to the problem of waste plastic that is plaguing the world and oceans today.

Leather is best for your car interior

Whether you have a Tesla or any other car brand with non-leather upholstery, once your synthetic covers have reached the end of their (un)natural lives, we heartily recommend retrofitting with natural car interior leather for a more sustainable, comfortable and durable car.

關於亞太區皮革展 ​

我們為皮革、物料及時裝業界創造面對面洽談的機會,爲客戶締造實質商機。我們雲集世界各地的商家,讓他們尋找新的合作伙伴,發掘潛在客戶或供應商,並掌握業界最新發展。

 

我們主辦多個專注時尚及生活潮流的商貿展覽會, 為這不斷變化的行業,提供最全面的買家及參展商服務,方便他們了解急速轉變的行業環境,並預測來季趨勢。

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