Bentley Motors welcomed into the Leather Working Group

Bentley has been working towards becoming a global leader in sustainable luxury mobility since 2020 with the launch of it’s Beyond100 initiative. Keen to take the next step on their sustainability journey, they have now been welcomed as the first automotive member of the Leather Working Group.

Established in 2005, the Leather Working Group is made up of leather manufacturers, traders, suppliers and technical experts, as well as brands and retailers, representing a wide range of industries from fashion and footwear, to homeware and interiors. The Leather Working Group aims to improve environmental performance in the leather industry and audits leather manufacture against best practice benchmarks.

With Bentley now a fully approved corporate member, their aim is to have all of it’s leather sourced from suppliers and tanneries that have successfully completed the Leather Working Group audit process by the start of 2022, with each supplier they use working towards achieving the Leather Working Group’s gold standard award.

Bentley’s Head of Production Purchasing, Mark Cooke, explains: “The use of leather and coachbuilding are hallmarks of our hundred-year-old history.  Our cutters and trimmers are experts in their fields and the fact that so many of our heritage models still exist with their original interiors, demonstrates the longevity of leather as a core material to us and its inherent sustainability over time.

“Beyond100 is about Bentley becoming the most ethical and sustainable luxury automotive manufacturer. That’s why we are ensuring that the traditional materials we use are sourced in the most sustainable way, whilst at the same time accelerating the development of new materials offering an even wider range of choice to our customers.

“As the first automotive member of the Leather Working Group, we look forward to working with our fellow members to actively shape the future of sustainably sourced leather in the automotive sector.”

Bentley currently sources it’s leather hides from Europe, only purchasing leather that is an existing by-product of the food industry. Their highly skilled trim team at the Bentley factory are trained to minimise wasted materials as they prep and prime each hide. Leather is also known to stand the test of time, over 80% of Bentley cars ever manufactured are on the roads today, many of which have their original leather seats.

Bentley’s approved membership into the Leather Working Group underlies their commitment to ensuring each and every material they use for their vehicles is of the highest standard in terms of quality and sustainability.