Hyundai Cradle, the global open innovation hub of Hyundai Motor Group, has entered into a partnership with Uncaged Innovations, a biomaterials company, to create a sustainable, animal-free leather for automotive interiors, made using grain byproducts.
The partners are working to co-develop high-performance, bio-based leather alternatives that replace traditional leather materials. Uncaged’s Elevate grain-based protein leather is engineered to reduce resource consumption on multiple fronts, with the company claiming its production process uses 95% less greenhouse gas emissions, 89% less water, and 71% less energy compared to animal-based leather, while still offering good qualities of texture, durability and luxurious quality.
“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’s Cradle office in Silicon Valley, USA.
“Uncaged’s approach, which minimises chemical inputs and leverages natural resources like coffee bean shells for dyes, aligns perfectly with Hyundai Motor Group’s sustainability material strategy of prioritising high bio content and minimal chemical use.”
Uncaged Innovations combines its proprietary technology platform, BioFuze, with biomaterial manufacturing to create what it says is a sustainable, customisable leather alternative that mimics the texture and performance of traditional leather. The company believes that carbohydrate-based designs can lack the molecular structure required to behave like skin. Instead, the Elevate product uses grain proteins fused with other plant-based elements to replicate the scaffolding functions of collagen, which is the primary protein in animal hides.
“Automotive interiors require the highest-possible durability and quality,” added Stephanie Downs, CEO and co-founder of Uncaged Innovations. “Developing a scalable, sustainable alternative for vehicle interiors underpins the strength of the technology behind our entire platform, helping us create luxurious and durable materials for a wide range of applications and industries.”
