Elon Musk to PETA: Two Tesla Models Will Be Leather-Free
Great news! Tesla has confirmed to PETA that it will replace the animal-derived leather that it currently uses for steering wheels in its Model 3 vehicles with a luxurious, durable vegan material. Also, Elon Musk told a PETA representative that the company’s much-anticipated Model Y will be fully vegan when it debuts. By ditching leather, including in its car seats, Tesla is sparing countless cows the cruelty inherent in the leather industry and staying true to its focus on sustainability.
PETA has pressured Tesla for years to ditch animal skins.
Eco-conscious consumers know that raising cows for leather requires huge quantities of feed, land, water, and fossil fuels and that cattle emit massive amounts of methane—one of the most potent greenhouse gases—into our atmosphere.
Compassionate people are recognizing that cows exploited for their skin are routinely subjected to mutilations such as castration and hot-iron branding without any pain relief. In many cases, they’re dismembered and skinned while still conscious. By choosing eco-friendly vegan materials whenever possible, consumers can show companies that they refuse to support these cruel practices.
We’ll continue to urge Tesla to make all its models 100% leather-free and vegan.
Originally posted June 10, 2019:
“Will Tesla make all its future models 100% leather-free and vegan by next year?”
That’s the question PETA will ask executives at Tesla Motors—which already offers exclusively vegan leather seats—at the company’s annual meeting.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is well aware that the leather industry is as toxic to the Earth as it is deadly to sensitive cows, who would rather live than be butchered for their skin. During last year’s shareholder meeting, Musk assured PETA that the “Model Y will not have any leather in it, including the steering wheel—if it does have a steering wheel.” PETA has tried to confirm this with the company but has not received an official response.
PETA is calling on Tesla to help steer the world toward a more sustainable future, instead of using cruel and archaic leather.
Cows killed for leather often endure extreme crowding as well as castration and tail-docking without pain relief. A PETA video exposé of the world’s largest leather processor revealed that workers branded gentle cows and bulls on the face, electroshocked them, and beat them before slaughter.
It’s no secret that the world faces a climate change crisis—and human supremacy over animals is at the heart of it all. Animal agriculture, which includes the leather industry, is responsible for 14.5% of all greenhouse-gas emissions. By some estimates, that’s more than what’s produced by all of the world’s transportation systems combined.
So please, Tesla and Mr. Musk, realize that helping to save the world from environmental destruction means ditching leather now. We urge the company to confirm that the Model Y will be vegan, as promised, and that it’ll make all its models 100% vegan by next year’s shareholder meeting.
Not in the market for a Tesla? You can still make a difference right now.
Use our form below to urge the world’s largest car companies—General Motors, Volkswagen, and Toyota—to replace their leather interiors with vegan leather in all their car models.
