Hyundai Partners With UNCAGED To Develop Leather Alternatives For Car Interiors

Hyundai CRADLE, the innovation arm of Hyundai Motor Group, is partnering with biotech company UNCAGED Innovations to develop animal-free leather alternatives for car interiors.

Hyundai and UNCAGED said that their high-performance bioleather “ELEVATE” has a smaller environmental footprint than hide-based options, and does not compromise on the “texture, durability, or luxurious quality” associated with traditional leather products.

According to Hyundai, producing the leather alternative emits 95 percent fewer greenhouse gases (GHGs), requires 90 percent less water, and uses 71 percent energy than traditional leather. The leather industry is separate from meat production and has a significant negative impact on people, animals, and the planet.

In contrast, ELEVATE combines UNCAGED’s proprietary BioFuze technology with biomaterial manufacturing to create a material that is sustainable, customizable, and successfully mimics the skin-like performance of leather. By fusing grain proteins with other plant-based elements, UNCAGED has said that it is able to “replicate the scaffolding functions of collagen,” which is the main protein in animal hides.

“UNCAGED’s grain-based protein leather alternative stood out to us for its unique molecular design and manufacturing process, which allows us to drastically lower environmental impact while meeting the demanding quality and performance standards of automotive interiors,” said Brendon Kim, senior vice president and head of Hyundai CRADLE Silicon Valley. “UNCAGED’s approach, which minimizes chemical inputs and leverages natural resources like coffee bean shells for dyes, aligns perfectly with Hyundai Motor Group’s sustainability material strategy of prioritizing high bio content and minimal chemical use.”

Hyundai, leather alternatives, and car interiors

Photo shows some of the plant-based materials used by UNCAGED to make the Hyundai leather alternative, including grains — Hyundai CRADLE UNCAGED fuses grain proteins with other plant-based elements to replicate the collagen in leather

In 2020, global leather production reached 12.5 million tonnes, requiring the skin of more than 1.4 billion animals. The automotive industry uses approximately 13.4 percent of all leather, and Hyundai alone sells upwards of 4 million cars per year.

Grand View Research previously reported that the global automotive leather market was worth USD $33.35 billion in 2022, and predicted that it will grow to reach $54.22 billion by 2030. Animal-based leather currently dominates the automotive market with a nearly 60 percent share. However, a growing number of car manufacturers – including Hyundai – are embracing plant-based and animal-free alternatives in order to mitigate the industry’s environmental footprint and cater to customer demand.

In 2022, UNCAGED raised USD $2 million in a pre-seed funding round with support from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). In addition to sustainability and performance, the company’s future car interiors may even come with a unique signature fragrance, as reported by TechCrunch.