BMW opens Materia exhibit on biomaterials

BMW has opened a public exhibition at The Grove in Los Angeles to showcase potential uses for biomaterials. Called ‘Materia’, the idea is to explore eco-friendly alternative materials that can be used in a circular economy and benefit a variety of industries including, but not limited to, automotive.

A total of eight different materials are featured at the exhibition, including a biopolymer called chitosan that is sourced from exoskeletons of shellfish, and a mushroom root network called mycelium. There is also bioluminescent algae, hemp wood, hemp hurds, moss, cork, and a natural blue dye called spira. All of the materials can be found within driving distance of BMW’s Designworks studio in California.

“Designworks’ main charge is to look toward the future, to understand, find and define what’s next,” said Holger Hampf, president of Designworks. “As companies like BMW continue to drive toward a more sustainable future, the materials we use will serve a very core function in the way we design, manufacture and live in the years to come.”

Sustainability has been at the heart of several recent showcases from the German OEM. The i Vision Circular concept, for example, was shown at the 2021 IAA Mobility show and used recycled materials sourced from the construction industry as well as renewable materials like wood. As for its production cars, the BMW iX features a synthetic yarn made from recycled nylon waste material for the carpets and floor mats, while the leather has been subject to an olive leaf tanning process which is more eco-friendly than traditional chromium-based ones.

Many other companies are also turning their sights to biomaterials and eco-friendly alternatives to reduce their impact on the environment. Design experts from Volkswagen, Lucid Motors and Ultrafabrics recently came together for a Car Design News livestream to discuss the urgent need to adopt truly sustainable materials.