AIX: Muirhead addresses barriers to sustainable cabin interiors with lowest-carbon leather products

• Aviation leather supplier Muirhead to present three high performance sustainable leather innovations at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2023, at stand 6E95.
• Muirhead says its lightweight, self-disinfecting, and anti-soil natural leather products are designed to help airlines overcome everyday cabin design challenges, as well as reduce tailpipe emissions and carbon impact.
• Lowest-carbon leathers underpin Muirhead’s long-term commitment to sustainable innovation and circularity.

​Bridge of Weir, Scotland – Muirhead, a trusted supplier of the lowest carbon high performance leather to some of the world’s most respected airlines and seat manufacturers, is set to showcase three sustainable leather innovations at next month’s Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg.

The Scottish firm, which has developed a cutting-edge circular process for leather manufacture, says its three flagship aviation products were designed to help airlines overcome everyday cabin design challenges and decrease their carbon impact.

Equipped with lightweight, self-disinfecting, and anti-soil properties, the manufacturer’s high performance leather innovations are trusted by more than 160 airlines, airframe and seating manufacturers globally – as well as most European bus, coach, and rail operators.

Archie Browning, Sales Director at Muirhead, said: “At Muirhead, innovation and sustainable development are deeply intertwined. With every new product innovation, we seek to further reduce our carbon footprint – while simultaneously empowering our airline customers to reduce fuel burn, maintain impeccable hygiene standards, and embrace lighter colours with confidence.

“Through two decades of sustainable innovation and substantial investments in our state-of-the-art facilities, we continue to push boundaries in sustainability, technical performance, and cutting-edge creativity. This is why we look forward to showcasing our high-performance LightCore™, ActiveHygiene, and CareGuard™ products at AIX this year, and helping the industry overcome some of the greatest barriers to sustainable cabin design.”

Myles Hobbs, Head of Aviation EMEA at Muirhead, added: “Sustainability and circularity are at the core of everything we do, which is why we continue to set the benchmark as the lowest carbon impact leather available to the aviation sector – at just 8kg CO2e/m2.

“Together with our parent company, Scottish Leather Group, we have developed an industry-leading circular manufacturing process that involves sourcing all our rawhides locally, reclaiming energy from our process waste, and turning by-products into much-needed raw materials for other industries.

“The result is a high performance aviation leather that not only caters to the demands of both airlines and passengers, but also empowers our customers to make a tangible impact on their own journeys towards net zero.”

Muirhead’s three newest product innovations, which will be showcased at AIX next month, include its lightweight LightCore™ innovation, its CareGuard™ anti-soil product, as well as its self-disinfecting ActiveHygiene leather.

• LightCore™ is Muirhead’s lightweight full substance leather, re-engineered using a pioneering tanning process to help airlines reduce fuel burn. LightCore™ weighs up to 33% less than standard leather without sacrificing performance, safety, or comfort, and can deliver substantial lifetime weight savings for airlines.
  
  
• CareGuard™ provides superior protection for aviation seating against soiling and staining, including dye transfer and dirt build-up – empowering airlines to choose lighter colours with confidence. CareGuard™ significantly reduces maintenance requirements, speeds up turnaround times, and prolongs service life.

• ActiveHygiene is the first ever leather for aviation interiors to feature built-in antimicrobial properties. It is a natural material that uses the latest Polygiene BioMaster™ technology, integrated at the manufacturing stage, to eliminate 99% of bacteria and viruses* from cabin seat surfaces – safeguarding passengers and reducing turnaround times.

At stand 6E95, visitors to this year’s AIX can also learn more about the leather lifecycle, from raw materials to end-of-life recycling, and immerse themselves in Muirhead’s newest leather design concepts at the manufacturer’s multisensory Design Garden.

ENDS

For media enquiries contact Balint Brunner via Aero PR
on [email protected] or +44 74 2314 8828.

NOTES TO EDITORS

*SARS-CoV-2, H3N2 and H1N1 – according to ISO 21702:2019. Polygiene BioMaster™ does not prevent diseases but protects the treated material.

About Muirhead

Muirhead, established in 1840, is a Scottish Leather Group business and one of Europe’s oldest tanneries. It is widely recognised as a leader in responsible and future-looking innovation of a versatile range of Fine Scottish Leather, for a select group of prestigious global brands. Muirhead leathers are made to travel the world – on 160 airlines, in mass transit cabins, and in the marine, furniture, and luxury goods industries.

Discover more at www.muirhead.co.uk

About the Scottish Leather Group

Founded in 1965, Scottish Leather Group (SLG) is the leading manufacturer of leather in the United Kingdom and produces the finest sustainable leather for the world’s most respected companies.

Through its specialist businesses - Bridge of Weir Leather, Lang and Muirhead – the Group leads the leather industry in the responsible and sustainable production of leather and serves the global automotive, aviation, bus, coach, rail, furniture, and consumer goods sectors from its operations located in Scotland, China, and Mexico.

https://www.scottishleathergroup.com