Deserttex, a new material for the automotive sector introduced by the Mexican textile firm that manufactures what it labels “vegan cactus leather,” will partner with BMW as part of the company’s push toward alternative materials.
The plant-based material was on demonstration at the IAA Mobility Expo in Munich, alongside the BMW Startup Garage programme. Desserto added, “It is an honour to be a part of this historic occasion in collaboration with BMW.”
The Desserto material was part of a study earlier this year that compared alternative materials to leather across a series of testing parameters, and found no materials that could match up to leather. The material can reportedly achieve a softness similar to leather but its technical performance falls far behind, with just tensile strength and tear resistance meeting half the results of leather.
