Tesla Now Offers Vegan-Friendly Leather Interiors
Tesla cars just got even cooler. A couple weeks ago, without any mention to the press, Tesla quietly updated their website, replacing their traditional leather interior material with vegan leather.
Vegan leather was previously only available on the ‘premium’ Tesla – however now all models, including the Model S, will now come standard with the vegan leather interior.
Why Tesla Made the Change?
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, is all about “accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy”. This means creating products that allow people to live their lives using reusable, clean energy sources. Tesla products include electric cars, solar panels, lithium ion battery storage, and more.
By switching to faux leather interiors, Tesla is not only decreasing animal cruelty, but also their carbon footprint. Leather production uses tons of natural resources and exposes workers to toxic chemicals – not exactly a clean, sustainable practice.
The idea of transitioning to vegan leather first came about at a 2015 shareholder meeting.
While Tesla’s Board of Directors didn’t vote for the idea, Elon Musk still wanted to look into it.
And in January 2016, Tesla offered its first vegan leather option – vegan ultra white – in the electric Model X. Musk even tweeted it’s praise, saying “the white interior is the best”.
Vegan Leather a New Car Trend
PETA is praising Tesla’s switch to cruelty-free leather car interiors and is urging other automobile manufacturers to do the same. While BMW and Mercedes-Benz already offer faux-leather options, Ferrari and Bentley are looking into similar options on their vehicles as well.
Vegan Options for Your Everyday Life
Even if you can’t afford a Tesla, there are still plenty of vegan-friendly clothing, accessories, and recipes you can choose to stand up against animal cruelty.
