Mercedes-Benz has become the first automaker to offer vegan interior materials certified by an independent organization. It means all touch points in the vehicle’s interior, from the high quality Artico replica leather seats to the steering wheel, door trims, and center console have been tested and certified by the Vegan Society’s trademark team.
The Vegan trademark is an internationally recognized certification, established in 1990 by The Vegan Society, and has been helping make vegan products more accessible ever since.
“Our customers can rest assured that our vegan interior materials do not contain any animal products and meet very high testing standards. We are delighted to be able to offer them this assurance through our partnership with an independent and globally-recognized certification organization,” said Markus Schäfer, member of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group, chief technology officer, development and procurement.
First, interior materials currently available in Mercedes-Benz vehicles – as well as the processes used to manufacture these – were audited by The Vegan Society in a pilot project. This included soft-touch materials such as MB-Tex, microfiber fleece, and other textiles. Any indicators that these might contain animal-based components led to the materials undergoing further development, in cooperation with the respective supplier, and any affected components were replaced by other animal-free components or alternatives.
The certified Vegan Package extends beyond seat surfaces to many other parts of the interior that customers come into regular physical contact with. These include exposed surfaces such as seat and steering wheel upholstery, headliner, door sills, pillars, door panels, sun visors, the center console and instrument panel, as well as the carpet in the cabin and trunk. Many of these materials also feature a high proportion of recycled material content.
