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As the automotive industry continues to focus on sustainability, companies including Cadillac and BMW Group are looking for ways to decrease their carbon footprint. The brands have been exploring the use of bio-based materials in products, including a mycelium-based material created by MycoWorks and Bcomp’s ampliTex™-PP.
A mycelium-based leather alternative created by MycoWorks’ Fine Mycelium™ technology is featured in SOLLEI, a Cadillac concept car developed in collaboration with General Motors (GM). The material was used in the phone charging mats on the center console and the door map pockets. SOLLEI was unveiled in July at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Mich.
MycoWorks is a biotechnology company headquartered in Emeryville, Calif., known for its patented Fine Mycelium technology used to make mycelium-based materials. GM Ventures and MycoWorks have been working together since 2022 when GM Ventures invested in the company for automotive interiors.
The BMW M Visionary Materials Seat features ampliTex-PP, a flax-based composite created by Bcomp, a manufacturer based in Fribourg, Switzerland. It offers an alternative to heavier, carbon-intensive plastic or glass fiber. The technical fabric also enables one-step manufacturing, reduces materials used in production and is fully recyclable.
BMW Group’s seat won the Altair Enlighten Award in the Sustainability Process category at the 2024 Center for Automotive Research seminar awards ceremony for its sustainable design and potential for future development and adoption. The annual award recognizes innovative sustainability solutions in the automotive industry.
“We are showing today what will be possible tomorrow with existing technologies and materials in order to take our efforts to reduce emissions and conserve resources to the next level,” says Falco Hollmann, innovation manager of lightweight design and sustainability at BMW M GmbH. “This is about more than just substituting materials; it is, above all, about designing for circularity.”