Tesla recently announced big changes for their line of luxury, eco-friendly cars. They have eliminated all leather from the interior seats, replacing the leather with 100 percent vegan synthetic materials.

The decision to use only vegan leather is not only a step forward in denying to participate in animal cruelty, but it also reduces Tesla’s overall carbon footprint. The manufacturing process for turning animal skin into leather uses over a hundred toxic chemicals which compromise the health of those who live and work near tanneries.

While Tesla founder Elon Musk has not yet adopted a vegan diet, he has been an advocate for animal rights for many years. Musk announced in 2013 that he is making plans for his SpaceX program to build a sustainable settlement on Mars for 80,000 people who agree to live a vegetarian lifestyle.

Let’s hope that if that happens, Musk will make the commitment to leave the culture of consuming any animal products behind on Earth.