The Leather Working Group is a non-profit organization that ensures a uniform environmental and social standard for leather supply chains worldwide and to certify manufacturers. They make up abut a quarter of the world’s leather producers—from tanneries to leather-processing industry and associations to retailers and buyers.

The decision to join the Leather Working Group ties in directly with the BMW Group’s business alignment, with its focus on sustainability and resource efficiency. One of the BMW Group’s objectives is to create the most sustainable supply chain across the entire automotive industry. Sourcing leather from certified facilities is an important step on the road to achieving this ambitious goal.

When it comes to BMW Group customers, leather is still in demand. It’s this reason why they are supporting sustainable production and processing of leather at their suppliers.

At the same time, the BMW Group is starting to offer leather-free alternatives such as Alcantara and Sensatec. In addition, they are also conducting research into resource-efficient leather alternatives, such as Deserttex which is made from cactus fibers, and the durable and fully recyclable plant-based Mirum from the startup Natural Fiber Welding in which BMW I Ventures acquired a stake in 2021.