Hyundai through its global open innovation hub Cradle, the company has teamed up with Uncaged Innovations, a leader in biomaterials, to develop leather alternatives made from grain by-products.

This collaboration focuses on creating high-performance materials that can replace traditional animal leather in cars.

The new product uses natural resources efficiently and reduces environmental impact says Hyundai. Compared to regular leather, it produces 95% less greenhouse gas emissions, uses 89% less water and consumes 71% less energy, all while keeping the texture, durability and premium feel intact.

“The grain protein-based leather alternative from Uncaged caught our attention due to its unique molecular structure and configuration and the production process, which allows us to drastically reduce environmental impact while meeting the demanding quality and durability standards typical of Hyundai automotive interiors”

Brendon Kim, Senior Vice President and Director of Hyundai Cradle in Silicon Valley

Hyundai’s team also emphasized the approach in the production process.

“The Uncaged approach, which minimizes the use of chemicals and utilizes natural resources such as coffee bean husks for dyes, aligns perfectly with the sustainable materials strategy of the Hyundai Motor Group, which prioritizes the use of a higher biological content and minimal or residual use of chemicals.”

Hyundai Project Lead for Sustainable Materials

As Hyundai experiments with grain-based leather alternative the question is will this innovation truly redefine the future of sustainable automotive interiors or is it a sustainable experiment that still has hurdles to clear?