Car Brand Renault Commits to Going Leather-Free Following Talks with PETA US
Leading auto manufacturer Renault is the latest brand to commit to eliminating animal leather interiors across its entire range of vehicles by the end of 2025. The move follows conversations with PETA India’s US entity, where they shared PETA’s Vegan Car Interior Survey. The survey showcases a trend toward animal-free car interiors amid growing consumer demand. PETA India has previously awarded Tata Motors with a Cow Friendly Future Award for using modern vegan interiors in its AVINYA Concept car.
True luxury is free from cruelty, and Renault understands that. By refusing to work with leather, Renault is helping save animal lives, reducing its environmental impact, and proving that compassion and innovation go hand in hand.
The new Renault 5 E-Tech Electric, Symbioz and Rafale all feature seats made from eco-friendly fabrics made with recycled plastic waste and other recycled textiles.
One Billion Animals Killed Annually for Leather
The global leather trade kills approximately one billion animals every year, and, on average, it takes the hides of three cows or bulls to cover the interior of a standard-sized car.
Cattle used for leather in India are often crammed into vehicles in such large numbers that their bones break. Those who survive the gruelling journey to the slaughterhouse endure agonising deaths: their throats are cut in full view of other animals, and many are dismembered while they’re still conscious.
One PETA UK exposé of suppliers to the largest leather processor in the world revealed that calves are branded with hot irons on their faces, and cows and bulls are electrocuted and beaten before being slaughtered.
Leather, an Environmental Disaster
In addition to the cruelty involved, leather is highly polluting. According to the United Nations, animal agriculture – which includes raising and killing animals for clothing – is responsible for nearly a fifth of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Due to the thicker hides used, non-vegan car interiors tend to have an even worse environmental impact than fashion items made from animal skins.
Transforming animal hides into leather requires up to 170 chemicals (including cyanide, chromium, and coal-tar derivatives), which are toxic to human tannery workers and poison waterways Working in tanneries has also been linked to cancer, respiratory infections, and other illnesses in humans. In a recent tragic case from West Bengal, three sanitation workers at the Kolkata Leather Complex, succumbed after exposure to the toxic waste generated by the leather industry. One report also linked leather car interiors to illegal land clearing and biodiversity loss.
Today, eco-friendly vegan leather produced in India includes leather made from plants such as sugarcane bagasse and mango pulp. The “PETA-Approved Vegan” certification authenticates handbags, shoes, clothing, accessories, furniture, and home decor items made from vegan materials rather than animal-derived ones such as leather, silk, wool, fur, and feathers. Over 1000 companies worldwide are using the “PETA-Approved Vegan” logo to enable socially conscious consumers in India and elsewhere to identify vegan products at a glance while shopping.
Going leather and animal-derived material free is the best step forward to a compassionate, sustainable and kinder future ahead.
