Bentley's Revolutionary Organic Leather Launches in Latest Vehicle

author: FutureCar Staff    

Bentley is making a sustainable upgrade to its iconic quilted interiors. As part of its "Beyond 100" plan to become more environmentally friendly, the British luxury car brand has developed a fully organic leather for its cabins. The eco-friendly material will be unveiled in a new Bentley model at Monterey Car Week in California on August 18. However, Bentley couldn't resist giving a sneak peek of the new leather on the internet before the event.

Currently, Bentley already uses highly traceable leather hides that are a by-product of the meat industry. These hides would otherwise go to landfill if not for recycling. The brand ensures that all hides used are sourced in the European Union and avoids using hides linked to deforestation. This reflects Bentley's efforts to encourage greener processes within its supply chain.

The new Olive Tan leather is the first to undergo a sustainable tanning process. This process uses an organic by-product of the olive oil industry, specifically the wastewater extracted during olive pressing. The tanning agent derived from this wastewater has a higher concentration of renewable chemicals and is free of harmful metals, minerals, and aldehydes. As a result, the organic leather created is described as "incredibly soft" by Bentley.

According to Marc Stang, the technical expert leather at Bentley, leather is a crucial component of the brand's car interiors and plays a significant role in creating Bentley's signature finish. Stang also highlights that the leather is hardwearing, which is especially important considering that 84 percent of all Bentley cars built are still on UK roads.

Bentley proudly claims to be the first in the industry to use the Olive Mill Wastewater (OMW) technology from Italian leather tannery Pasubio SpA. The brand plans to offer the new OMW-derived leather across its entire product range.

Since announcing its Beyond 100 strategy in November 2020, Bentley has been making significant sustainability progress. The automaker has committed to spending $3.4 billion over the next decade to electrify its lineup and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. This latest innovation demonstrates that Bentley can achieve its green goals without compromising on style.

Monterey Car Week will conclude this Sunday, so stay tuned for Robb Report's recap of the event.

FutureCar Staff