skai® Vyp Coffee

Continental – WEISSBACH

Sitting in the café – on coffee: The breathable artificial leather skai® VyP Coffee inspires with the use of a natural, recycled ingredient, with sustainable manufacturing and outstanding practical material properties.

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General Description

Coffee grounds in an elegant, high-quality upholstery fabric – that’s what’s extraordinary about skai® VyP Coffee. The artificial leather with a classic grain is a milestone in the development of sustainable surfaces at Continental. The original laif® technology makes the upholstery fabric breathable and thus ensures a high level of seating comfort, especially wherever people spend longer periods of time. For example, in hotels, restaurants, and cafés, but also in doctors‘ offices or hospitals.

The production of skai® VyP Coffee is particularly resource-friendly and energy-efficient because it uses recycled and natural components. The innovative material impresses not only with its unusual ingredient coffee grounds and a sustainable manufacturing process, but also with above-average durability and ease of care, which additionally contributes to the positive ecological profile.

Sustainability Impact

Every year, around 1 million tons of coffee grounds are produced in Germany. Continental uses this valuable ecological raw material as a fragrant filler to give its high-quality artificial leather the body and feel of its natural model. This not only prevents waste, but also prevents greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide from being produced. In the production of skai® VyP Coffee, more than 65 percent of conventional chemical raw materials are replaced by natural and recycled components. The electricity required for the production process is generated in a 100 percent CO2-neutral manner.

Jury

The jury distinguishes „skai® Vyp Coffee“ by Continental – WEISSBACH as an excellent sustainable product, as an outstanding solution of a cycle of recyclable materials has been realised on an industrial scale, in which 65 percent natural materials with coffee grounds are used. Thus, not only a sustainable value chain is realised, but also an essential contribution to a relevant ecological problem is made, as coffee is an intensively consumed commodity worldwide.

In addition, the jury praised the consistently implemented regional production approach of Continental – WEISSBACH, which uses 100 per cent renewable energy for production and produces a large part of it itself, thus reducing 70 per cent of CO2 emissions. This aspect demonstrates a good practice of transparent sustainability communication, which was also positively evaluated by the jury.

The jury would also like to acknowledge Continental – WEISSBACH’s efforts to create fair and sustainable working conditions for its employees, which marks it out as a holistically positioned sustainability company.