Jaguar's extravagant cabin design could be tantalizing enough to savor

Jaguar Land Rover Invests in Sustainable Leather Alternative

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has made a significant investment in Uncaged Innovations, a company that specialises in creating biomaterials as an alternative to traditional leather. This venture is part of JLR's ongoing commitment to reducing carbon emissions and becoming a net-zero carbon emissions company by 2039.

Uncaged Innovations, based in New York, USA, was founded in late 2020 by Stephanie Downs and Dr. Xiaokun Wang. The company has developed a unique process for creating grain-based, collagen-like leather substitutes, using edible grains like corn, wheat, soy, and rice. This biomaterial emits 95% less greenhouse gases, uses 89% less water, 71% less energy, and is compostable and biodegradable compared to animal leather.

JLR is collaborating with Uncaged Innovations on a Proof of Concept to use this biomaterial for a wide range of interior applications unique to JLR's four brands - Defender, Discovery, Jaguar, and Range Rover. The team at Uncaged can alter characteristics such as texture, strength, flexibility, water resistance, color, and fragrance, tailoring the material to each application.

Carol Hopkins, JLR's materiality director, emphasizes the need for the biomaterial to feel different for each of JLR's brands, appealing to the unique preferences of Jaguar and Range Rover customers. The smell of Uncaged's biomaterial can be adjusted or replicated, with automotive brands preferring as little smell as possible.

Uncaged's biomaterial is currently at the proof of concept stage, and JLR isn't committing to a date for when the material will be available to configure. After testing, the biomaterial will undergo 'real-world' testing on tracks and eventually the road before it makes it into showrooms.

The biomaterial created by Uncaged is being tested for durability using robots that exert forces over 800 Newtons (N) on each seat design 25,000 times over around five days. The secret ingredient that makes traditional leather durable and flexible is collagen, a protein found in skin, bones, muscles, tendons, etc. Uncaged has invented a way to create the strength and flexibility of leather using plant proteins.

InMotion Ventures, JLR's venture capital arm, invested in Uncaged through Mike Smeed, who arrived at the London-based venture arm in 2022. InMotion Ventures was launched in 2016 as part of JLR's Reimagine strategy, and has focused heavily on mobility for the first five years. However, it is now looking at climate industrial and enterprise technologies.

This investment in Uncaged Innovations is a step forward in JLR's mission to reduce its environmental impact while maintaining quality and durability in its products. The company's biomaterial is designed to deliver on both luxury and sustainability, making it a promising solution for the automotive industry's carbon emissions reduction goals.