Feature image from Pexels.
Veganism may not be a new phenomenon, but it’s gaining momentum faster than any other movement. In fact, according to the Vegan Society, the demand for meat-free food increased by 987% in 2017, with the number of vegans in Great Britain quadrupling between 2014 and 2019. In 2019, in the UK, there were approximately 600,000 vegans, or 1.21% of the population; however, data published more recently on the Vegetarian Society website indicates that in 2021 approximately 3% of the UK population are now maintaining a vegetarian or vegan diet 100% of the time.
WHAT IS VEGANISM?
According to The Vegan Society, “Veganism represents a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, other animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, other animals and the environment”.
Prevention of the exploitation of animals remains the key factor in many people’s decision to become vegan and remain vegan, as having emotional attachments with animals often forms part of that reason, while many others believe that all sentient creatures have a right to life and freedom.
Veganism is also one of the most effective ways to reduce our impact on the environment, as the production of meat and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment – from crops and the water required to produce the grain to feed the animals, to the transport and other processes involved from farm to fork. Estimates suggest that around half of the planet’s habitable land is used for agriculture, with roughly 77% of this used by grazing cattle, sheep, goats, and other livestock.
Meat-heavy, Westernised diets are seen by many as a waste of resources that we desperately need to conserve, as farmed animals consume much more protein, water and calories than they ‘produce’; When it comes to converting nutrients into energy, animals are very inefficient and the inefficiency is especially high for beef – in fact it can take up to 12 kg of grain to make 1 kg of beef.
“NEARLY 10 BILLION ANIMALS ARE KILLED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES; 99% ARE RAISED ON FACTORY FARMS, WHICH MAXIMIZE AGRIBUSINESS PROFITS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE ANIMALS, THE ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND PUBLIC HEALTH”.
Factory Farming – Farm Sanctuary
Meat production also contributes to global warming, widespread pollution, habitat loss, deforestation and degradation, water scarcity and species extinction. According to the WWF, beef and soy production are responsible for deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest and other areas of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
I recently completed a course about Climate Change called “Tackling Environmental Challenges for a Sustainable Future” at York University, and discovered that:
“The production of meat is, directly and indirectly, related to the loss of forests in South America. Often, deforested areas are cleared using fire. This burning alone releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere”.
In Brazil alone, the equivalent of 5.6 million acres of land is used to grow soya beans for animals in Europe. This land contributes to developing world malnutrition by driving impoverished populations to grow cash crops for animal feed, rather than food for themselves.
A study by James Poore, an environmental researcher from the University of Oxford, indicated that the adoption of veganism is the “single biggest way” to reduce our environmental impact, lowering an individual’s carbon footprint by as much as 73%. Several reports and studies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on climate change and land, also recommend reducing meat consumption.
Greenpeace believe that we need to be eating 70% less meat and dairy by 2030 to prevent climate breakdown. By eating mostly plant-based food, we could feed more people – with all the calories and nutrition needed for a healthy diet – without destroying forests. According to an article in EcoCult, if the world switched from beef to beans we could almost meet our global emissions targets.
WHAT CAN WE DO AS INDIVIDUALS IF WE’RE NOT READY FOR A MEAT-FREE DIET?
If you have ever considered becoming a vegan or vegetarian but are not ready for a totally meat-free diet, you could try following Meat Free Monday, a not-for-profit campaign that encourages people to help slow climate change, conserve precious natural resources and improve their health by having at least one plant-based day each week.
Meat Free Monday was launched by Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney in 2009 with the aim of raising awareness of the detrimental environmental impact of animal agriculture and industrial fishing. According to a study carried out by Oxford University’s department of public health, not only is a vegan or vegetarian diet great for the environment, the researchers found that eating meat no more than three times a week could prevent 31,000 deaths from heart disease, 9,000 deaths from cancer and 5,000 deaths from stroke, as well as save the NHS £1.2 billion in costs each year.
The Meat Free Monday website has lots of delicious meat-free recipes; you can also check out how you can have a positive impact by eating less meat and dairy by using the Meat Free Monday impact calculator.
For more information about the impact of meat production watch “There’s a monster in my kitchen – YouTube”, a short film from Greenpeace made with four-time Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, BAFTA and Emmy nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon and independent creative agency Mother, to support their mission to end the role of industrial meat in deforestation and climate change, and to challenge the companies who are responsible. You can sign the petition and tell corporate monsters to stop destroying our forests here: http://greenpeace.org/monster
TRY VEGANISM AS A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
Veganuary, is a UK non-profit organisation that encourages people worldwide to try veganism for January and beyond; they believe that veganism has the potential to save the earth’s atmosphere from the equivalent production of CO2 as 450,000 flights from London to Berlin, as well as 2.5 million litres of water, just within 31 days.
Veganuary is focused on changing consumer behaviours and attitudes, while providing all the information and practical support required to make the transition to veganism as easy and as enjoyable as possible.
WEAR VEGAN FASHION
Veganism isn’t just about food; people who follow a vegan lifestyle also choose not to wear animals, and many people today are also choosing to support cruelty-free fashion even if they aren’t vegan in their everyday lives.
The use of terminology such as “vegan” and “cruelty-free” has been gaining prominence over the years, but what do these terms mean in relation to fashion? In the fashion industry, there is actually little, or no, distinction between these terms for the simple reason that there is no obligation to carry out animal testing for apparel and accessories, therefore these terms tend to be used interchangeably.
Most of us are familiar with the terms “vegan” and “cruelty-free” in the context of food and beauty products however, and whilst there is also no overarching legal definition of these terms, the beauty industry has typically defined them as:
- vegan: a product that contains no animal, or animal-derived, substances; and
- cruelty-free: a product that has not been tested, and whose ingredients have not been tested, on animals.
The closest definition of vegan fashion that I can find is the idea of producing and consuming fashion without harming or using animals; this also means the production of clothing that contains no animal substances, therefore it also means avoiding materials such as wool, leather, fur, silk, and any animal by-products including animal glues, beeswax, and animal dyes.
Choosing vegan fashion means you choose not to be complicit in the underlying themes of cruelty that keep animals suffering within the animal farming industry, for which there are many examples, including “mulesing”, a cruel practice that involves mutilation to prevent “flystrike” infection in sheep, or boiling silkworms alive inside their cocoons, to name just a few. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), silkworms are sensate—which means they produce endorphins and have a physical response to pain.
Global organisations such as PETA and Humane Society International have documented widespread abuse of animals for the sake of fashion. Animals are being exploited on fur farms, cattle ranches, and abattoirs, and the lack of transparency and traceability on the part of brands means that consumers don’t know in what conditions the animals ending up in our fashion items were reared, transported, or slaughtered. So if you are concerned about animal welfare, you may want to consider moving away from wool, angora, and all other animal-derived materials, too.
Today, vegan fashion is something of a growing movement; in a recent poll of 14,000 people by global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, “almost 90% of respondents want the fashion industry to prioritize animal welfare alongside environmental protection and social standards.”
Vegan fashion, including vegan clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories are best identified through certification; there are currently two third-party certifications, those given by PETA approved Vegan and The Vegan Trademark, certified by the Vegan Society.
PETA certifies brands by approval of a short online questionnaire and a statement of assurance.
PETA also requires all the company’s manufacturers and suppliers to also complete and submit a statement of assurance. The Vegan Trademark is identified by a sunflower Vegan logo, which is often seen on products like food and cosmetics, but the Vegan Society also certifies clothing, shoes, and accessories with the same Vegan Trademark logo.
Labelling can often be seen as complex; especially in the beauty industry, as “vegan” and “cruelty-free” refer to two different things and the distinction is important, as a product can be vegan but not cruelty-free if it contains no animal products but was tested on animals. And vice versa: it could be labelled “cruelty-free” due to no animal testing but contain animal substances, thus resulting in a non-vegan product.
BUY VEGAN LEATHER
Leather is one of the most prevalent animal-based materials in the fashion industry and every year, more than a billion animals are slaughtered for leather production. Leather can be made from any animal skin— anything from pigs, goats, cats, dogs, kangaroos, rabbits, snakes, ostrich, lizards, as well as other aquatic animals such as eels, fish, seals, walrus, whales, crocodiles and alligators.
The leather industry is known to be rife with animal cruelty, lack of regulation and enforcement, as well as documented labour absuses, including tanneries employing underage children and causing harming to their workers and communities through the toxic chemicals used in processing.
The tanning process of turning animal skin into leather takes large amounts of energy and a toxic brew of chemicals, including mineral salts, coal-tar derivatives, carcinogenic chemicals like formaldehyde, arsenic and chromium (with which 90% of leather is tanned), dyes and finishes – some of which are cyanide-based. Carcinogens cause cancer, so tannery workers suffer cancer at high rates due to their exposure to these chemicals.
“THE USE OF HEAVY METALS IN THE TANNING AND DYEING PROCESS HAS BEEN A MAJOR CONCERN IN LEATHER MANUFACTURING, PUTTING AT RISK THE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH CHEMICALS LEAKING INTO WATER STREAMS, THE WORKERS AND ALSO THE WEARER THEMSELVES”.
The waste contains water-fouling salt, lime sludge, sulfides, acids, and other pollutants. If the chemicals find their way into the water, it causes an excessive richness of nutrients that sparks the growth of algae and animal death due to the lack of oxygen in the waters. In extreme cases, workers in the tanneries are exposed to serious health risks such as lung cancer and leukaemia.
For more information watch The Toxic Price of Leather, a short documentary film released by the Pulitzer Centre, which looks more deeply into some of these issues.
WHAT IS VEGAN LEATHER?
Vegan leather is a material made to imitate leather without actually using animals or the traditional methods and processes of leather itself. Vegan leather can be made from a large range of different artificial or plant based raw materials instead of animal skins and is also often known as imitation leather, faux leather, pleather, alternative leather or synthetic leather.
Vegan leather has become an increasing trend; in April, 2020, shopping platform Lyst reported that searches for ‘vegan leather’ had increased 69% year-on-year and business firm Grand View Research predicted in 2017 that the global faux leather market will hit $85 billion by 2025 as consumers shift toward animal-free products.
“Animal rights laws in several countries have become a major hurdle for natural leather manufacturers,” the report reads. “Growing awareness among consumers regarding animal killings” has also played a major role in the upped demand for cruelty-free materials.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF VEGAN LEATHER
Vegan leather is traditionally made from two different plastic polymers; polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – they are most commonly used due to their wrinkled texture which helps to give the effect of real leather, according to PETA.
Faux leather – also known as pleather is made from polyvinylchloride (PVC) or polyurethane (PU). Vegan leather that’s polyurethane-based is essentially a plastic material, which is unfortunately where sustainability issues arise. Polyurethane (PU) is a thermoplastic polymer that has a foam-like texture, and ability to look and feel like a natural leather; unfortunately PU has been linked to health issues and irritation specifically to the skin and lungs. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), derived from chlorine, carbon, and ethylene and is actually one of the most toxic plastics we have within our homes, therefore when it comes to using PU and PVC in vegan leather products, we need to weigh up the pros and cons.
Some vegan leather products using PU leather technology, which is strictly made and regulated in the EU, are more environmentally sustainable according to Joshua Katcher, author of Fashion Animals and founder of a high-end vegan fashion store, Brave GentleMan:
“PU IS MADE IN A STRICTLY CONTROLLED AND REGULATED CHEMICAL PROCESS, DURING WHICH ONLY A FEW GRAMS PER TON OF CHEMICAL IS EVER RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. THE FINAL POLYURETHANE POLYMER IS CHEMICALLY INERT, AND THEREFORE HARMLESS. PU IS ALSO BIODEGRADABLE BY WAY OF FUNGUS FOUND IN LANDFILL AND SOIL”.
For more information about the issues with chemicals in plastic read my post:
One of the concerns about vegan leather made from plastic is that it can pose a threat during and after its lifespan because it could end up in water or landfill. This takes years to degrade and releases toxic chemicals into the environment, which is unsustainable, therefore, despite vegan alternatives being thought to have a lower impact on the environment than real leather, it does have clear drawbacks when it’s made from plastic.
Another issue with vegan leather is that often the binding agents used can affect their biodegradability, such PVC or PU glues – this is the case for genuine leather, faux leather and many vegan leather alternatives. Slowly more designers are experimenting with natural materials such as beeswax and corn starch, however some vegan leathers processes are seen as the antithesis to the sustainability of the product.
The good news is that today there are many innovative, and both ethical and sustainable alternatives to leather made from plastic. Over the past few decades, the production of vegan leather has come on leaps and bounds; vegan leather made from innovative and sustainable materials such as pineapple leaves, cork, apple peels, other fruit waste, and recycled plastic can even be mistaken for the real thing. Apple, mushroom, corn and mango are all other animal substitutes used that aren’t manufactured with the same toxic chemicals used in leather tanning.
THE ADVANTAGES OF VEGAN LEATHER
As well as the main obvious advantage of vegan leather – it is made without the use of animal hides and does not contain animal products, some varieties of vegan leathers are also made without the need of fertilizers or pesticides and are produced using processes that require no/fewer potentially toxic chemicals compared to leather tanning, for example: apple, mushroom, corn and mango leathers. Other advantages are:
Vegan leather creates less carbon dioxide emissions
Animal agriculture can produce a large amount of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and the carbon footprint of cattle farming and animal farming in general is well documented.
Vegan leather cuts the animal out of the equation, therefore reducing the amount of greenhouse gases release, and generally vegan leather produces a fraction of the amount of CO2 compared to animal leather. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions varies between vegan leathers, with natural vegan leathers – such as those made from pineapples or fungi – producing less than something like PU leather. Some vegan leathers, particularly those made from plants like cork or cactus, actually absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
Vegan leather requires less water
The production of animal leather requires a lot of water. Vast amounts of water are required in animal farming to keep the cattle and other animals alive, and the water used in the skin preparation for tanning and finishing processes of animal leather production means that the overall water footprint of animal leather is gigantic.
Not only that, for every metric ton of animal leather hide produced, 20 to 80 cubic metres (that’s 20,000 to 80,000 litres!) of polluted wastewater is generated.
Vegan leather made from plants such as cork or cactus are naturally irrigated by rainwater, therefore, they don’t need as much water to become leather substitutes.
Natural vegan leather is particularly non-polluting
Animal leather causes a lot of pollution, but it is also true that synthetic leather relies on the extraction of fossil fuels (unless recycled plastics are used) and as they (very gradually) break down they can have adverse consequences in the oceans and waterways of the world as they contribute toward plastic pollution, including the growing issue of micro-plastics in the world’s oceans and waterways.
VEGAN LEATHER ALTERNATIVES:
APPLESKIN™ LEATHER
Apple leather can be made in a number of ways using the waste from various processes or the fruit itself. The Apple Girl leather in Denmark utilizes a part of the residue stream from juice and cider production.
The Italian company Frumat® was founded in 2009 and uses an innovative bio-based system, transforming biological industrial residuals from the production of apple juice into new raw materials for the development of faux vegan leather.
Apple waste from the juice industry and apple compote industry (peels and cores) is gathered by Frumat® and mixed with organic cotton and recycled PU to create a durable leather like material. By recovering this waste byproduct, Frumat® also prevents it from decomposing, thus avoiding the emission of methane gas, one of the many causes of environmental pollution. Natural waxes work well on fruit leathers to repel water. This type of leather can be both rigid or flexible.
Frumat® partners with MABEL, an Italian textile company, providing their facilities to produce the material. Their collaboration has helped develop a sustainable material with high technical specifications, composed of up to 50% of retrieved industrial waste that would have been otherwise destroyed. The AppleSkin™ is approved VEGAN by PETA and coloured with pigments from natural sources.
Brands like Veerah, The Apple Girl, Samara Bags, Happy Genie and MoEa (Mother Earth) use this faux vegan leather.
PINEAPPLESKIN LEATHER
Pineapple leather is predominantly made in the Phillipines, and is a luxury leather made from the waste of pineapple leaves. Pineapples are a big industry in the Phillipines and farmers are able to make additional income with the waste use. After farmers separate the fibres, they are left with biomass that can be used as fertilizer back in the pineapple fields too. 500 pineapple leaves, which equate to approximately 16 pineapples are required to a square metre of pineappleskin leather.
Piñatex® is a vegan leather made from waste pineapple leaf fibres by the company Ananas Anam. As a waste-based product that provides work for farming communities in the Philippines, its ethical and environmental credentials are exceptional.
Piñatex promises to be one of the most sustainable and eco-friendly vegan leather materials because it requires no water, fertilizers, or additional land for its production and also reuses something that would traditionally be discarded or burned.
The process consists of extracting the long leaf pineapple fibres, washing them and letting them dry naturally to purify the fibres. This fluff-like pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) is mixed with a corn-based polylactic acid (PLA) to create Piñafelt™, a non-woven mesh which forms the base of all Piñatex® collections: 80% pineapple leaf fibres mixed with 20% PLA. The Piñafelt™ is coloured with pigments to make Piñatex® and after processing Piñatex®, the residual biomass from the fibre extraction is used as fertilisers to re-plant crops.
According to the company’s FAQ page, Piñatex® is made of natural fibres and polylactic acid fibres (PLA), which are biodegradable. However, Piñatex is coated with a petroleum-based resin, meaning the material not biodegradable yet, however according to the Piñatex® website, they’re working on a bio-based coating to make the whole lifecycle sustainable.
Brands such as Tamasine Osher Design, Hugo Boss and international designers such as Ally Capellino and sustainable sneaker brands such as Nae Vegan Shoes, Hozen, HFS Collective, MoEa, EcoAlf and Po-Zu use Piñatex®.
CACTUSSKIN LEATHER
Desserto® is a company producing a highly sustainable plant-based alternative to leather made from nopal cactus (Opuntia), a cactus, also known as the prickly pear, which was first showcased by the Mexican company in Milan in October 2019 by founders Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez. The CactusSkin production starts at a certified organic cactus farm in the state of Zacatecas in Mexico.
To make the cactus leather, only the mature leaves are harvested, keeping the core of the cacti intact, meaning in 6-8 months the leaves will have grown back and the cacti can be re-harvested. The cactus plantation is perennial, meaning that it is only planted once every 8 years; the cacti are organically grown and are native and typical to the region, requiring no irrigation system or chemicals to grow them.
After cutting the mature leaves, they dry under the sun for 3 days so there’s no additional energy used in the drying process. Then, the organic raw material is processed and associated with stabilizers to create the vegan-leather Desserto®, which is PETA-Approved Vegan. Thanks to its strong molecular bonding, the CactusSkin offers high resistance to abrasion, rubbing, tearing, and has great flexibility and durability. CactusSkin is water resistant, breathable and easy to clean.
CORNSKIN LEATHER
CornSkin is the only Polyurethane (PU) made with renewable resources. Corn has long been used as a biofuel and for other uses to replace oil-based materials, however the Italian company Viridis® has found a way to produce animal-free and sustainable wearable materials from a non-edible and GMO-free American corn.
The CornSkin material by Viridis® contains 43% of polyols coming from corn grown for industrial end-use, processed into ethanol and its by-products; it is approved Vegan by PETA and is ranked VV in the Animal Free Fashion rating designed by LAV.
COTTON WORKED AS LEATHER
Cotton Worked as Leather is another vegan alternative to leather. It is 54% bio-based, made using 100% organic cotton canvas, which is coated with P.U., corn starch and ricinus oil.
It is a non-woven fabric made of microfibers that are needle-punched together and impregnated with P.U. resin. This solvent-free process is less toxic than the ones used to produce classic synthetics suedes. The French sneaker brand Veja are working with cotton farmers in Brazil and Peru where they source and harvest their 100% organic cotton. All cotton used by VEJA is certified; cotton produced in Peru is certified organic according to European and American standards in addition to GOTS certification.
VEJA uses Brazilian and Peruvian organic cotton for the canvas and laces, Amazonian rubber for the soles, and various innovative materials conceived in recycled plastic bottles or recycled polyester for their sneakers.
GRAPESKIN LEATHER
VEGEA® company was established in Milan in 2016, with the aim to promote the integration between chemistry and agriculture through the development of new eco-sustainable products.
VEGEA® works closely with Italian vineyards making GrapeSkin, which is made of a bio-compound characterized by a content of plant based raw materials which is spread on sustainable backing textiles. VEGEA® has a high content of vegetal, renewable and recycled raw materials, or grape leftovers from winemaking, vegetal oils and natural fibres from agriculture.
The wine industry in Italy produces tons of wine each year, and 26 billion litres of wine is produced every year around the world, creating 7 billion kilograms of grape mulch waste wine which is usually thrown away. According to VEGEA®, every 10 litres of wine produces 2.5 kgs of waste.
The grape waste is recycled from the residues and then dried.
The fibres, in combination with oil from the seeds, is mixed into a process to develop the material, which is mixed with bio-PU and recycled polyester to create a leather-like material. VEGEA® can create about 1 square metre of wine leather for every 10 litres of wine and by using natural vegetal products and mixing it with recycled plastics it is not only helping to stop the production of new plastics which causes mass destruction to our planet, but also it is clearing the earth of waste products and giving them a new lease of life.
VEGEA® products are GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified and compliant with the most stringent European regulations (REACH). They are solvent free and animal free; VEGEA® is PETA-Approved Vegan and certified vegan by the Vegan Society. VEGEA® was awarded first prize of the Global Change Award for the innovative bio-materials developed.
For more information about REACH read my article: “The Chemicals in Our Beauty Products.”
Recent collaborations include H&M and Bently, where VEGEA® grapeskin leather is used for the Bentley EXP 100 GT car’s seats and was inspired by the company’s deep understanding of the desires of its intelligent, forward-thinking customers who are keen to see a more environmentally aware car industry.
For more information visit Vegea x Bentley and Vegea x H&M
MUSHROOM LEATHER
Mushroom leather (also called Muskin) is made from extracts from the top of a mushroom (its button) and is produced by a brand called MuSkin. It is processed in a manner similar to that of animal leathers, however the tanning procedure is completely natural using vegetable tanning processes which does not require the use of toxic chemicals.
The technique used to make this mushroom leather is called Amadou, which has been around for centuries and some companies around the world are still producing it this way. The mushrooms are grown on recycled sawdust and use existing edible mushroom cultivation techniques. Products produced from this material are completely compostable at the end of their lifecycle and turns soil into rich soil.
Mushroom leather is also made from the white underground root-like system of the Phellinus ellipsoideus mushroom which is known as mycelium; mycelium cells are grown to form a network used for the fabric. Mycelium is abundant in the environment, making up to 30% of soils biomass, therefore making this product infinitely renewable and eco-friendly.
Life Cykel a biotech company in Western Australia produces a mushroom leather that resembles suede but is much softer, more breathable and naturally more water repellent than animal derived leather. It can easily be shaped into various forms to manufacture any type of accessory or clothes, and it can be dyed using non-toxic methods, unlike the process animal leather goes through. Mushroom leather is said to be one of the safest materials to place on human bodies due to the healing properties from the mushroom plant that’s been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years – this makes it suitable for direct contact with human skin, and it’s also 100% biodegradable.
Mushroom leather also is incredibly durable, so much so that researchers are hoping to sustainably grow mycelium into various products far beyond leather alternatives; some hope that it could even be the answer to plastic.
One brand, Mylo™ is made from mycelium and is a bio-based leather alternative that is soft, supple and less harmful to the environment. Made by US biotechnology company Bolt Threads, Mylo™ is a vegan leather that has the potential to replace animal and plastic leather thanks to its sustainability and biodegradability. It can grow in small spaces, doesn’t need to be treated with toxic chemicals and has antibacterial properties.
Brands like adidas, lululemon, Ecovative Design, Nat-2 Coilex and Stella McCartney are using this type of vegan leather; in fact, Stella McCartney was the first designer to create a clothing line made with Mylo. Stella championed the fungi kingdom with the debut of the Frayme Mylo handbag at Paris Fashion Week as part of her mushroom-inspired Summer 2022 collection.
“I BELIEVE THE STELLA COMMUNITY SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO COMPROMISE LUXURY AND DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY, AND MYLO MAKES THAT A REALITY”.
STELLA MCCARTNEY
MANGO LEATHER
Koen Meerkerk and Hugo de Boon are a Rotterdam based designer duo and founders of Fruitleather Rotterdam a company that manufacturers mango leather.
The duo first came up with the concept for Fruitleather back in 2015 with a vision to spread awareness of the food waste issue, decrease food waste while making the leather industry further environmentally friendly. They work together with other circular businesses towards a zero waste economy to give wasted mangoes a new life.
Fruitleather collects around 1,500 mangoes each week from a Dutch importer.
First, they cut the mangoes and them put them in a machine and de-stones them, then it crushes the fruit into a pulp which is mixed with several additives that turn the mango pulp into a leather-like material. The pulp is dried and coated in a protective glaze. In the production of the raw material natural additives are used to preserve the Fruitleather sheets and the cotton backing material is GOTS-certified organic.
BANANA LEATHER
Bananatex® is the world’s first durable, technical fabric made purely from the naturally grown Abacá banana plants. Cultivated in the Philippine highlands within a natural ecosystem of sustainable mixed agriculture and forestry. Abacá is sturdy and self-sufficient, requiring no pesticides or extra water; these qualities have allowed it to contribute to reforestation in areas of former Philippine jungle eroded by soil damage due to monocultural palm plantations, whilst enhancing the economic prosperity of its farmers.
The Abacá fibres are transformed into yarn in a Taiwanese paper mill, the yarn – in the case of the All Black colourway – is coloured using the yarn dying method. This process is more sustainable than the typical roll dying alternative and certified to the highest standard (Oeko-Tex® Standard 100). The Natural White colourway reflects the actual colour of the fibres and is accordingly not dyed.
Bananatex® was developed by Swiss bag brand and material innovators QWSTION in collaboration with a yarn specialist and a weaving partner, both based in Taiwan.
Since its launch in October 2018 Bananatex® has won a variety of international sustainability and design awards such as the Green Product Award 2019, the Design Prize Switzerland Award 2019/20 as well as the German Sustainability Award Design 2021. In December 2021 Bananatex® fabric was Cradle to Cradle Certified® Gold, which is the most advanced standard globally for products that are safe, circular and responsibly made.
COFFEE LEATHER
Coffee leather is made from waste coffee grounds which provides a cost effective waste disposal as 99% of coffee per cup generally goes to waste. The coffee grounds are rinsed and dried and then ground into a really fine powder, which is mixed with a binding agent and additives and then pressed into a sheet.
Brands like No Bull, nat-2™ and Alice Genberg use Coffee Leather in their products.
CORK LEATHER
Natural cork leather is made from the bark of Cork Oak Trees that grow in the Mediterranean regions, including Portugal, Spain and France. Cork leather can be made by removing the outer layer of bark from a cork oak tree without needing to cut the tree down. The oak tree is the only tree that survives even after the bark is stripped from the trunk. Furthermore, removing bark from oak trees encourages the plant to thrive and grow more.
The bark can grow back and be repeatedly harvested, as detailed by Peta-approved cork product maker, Corkor, and is incredibly durable, elastic and lightweight. Cork oak trees grow naturally in forests without the need to use pesticides or fertilisers and play a huge role in forests that support a variety of animal and plant species. This includes the endangered Liberian Lynx. Other advantages of cork leather is that the production does not require the use toxic chemicals and cork leather lasts for about 20 years without any signs of deterioration.
The cork is air-dried for about six months and is then cooked and steamed to make the material more elastic. Heat and pressure are applied to the cork to press it into blocks which may be used for products, or for cutting into thin slices for cork leather. The material is highly durable with a distinctive look; cork leather is also waterproof, stain resistant, hypoallergenic, anti-fungal and easy to maintain.
Brands such as Thies uses recycled plastic bottles and cork in its designs. Other brands using cork leather include: LØCI, Eve Cork, MB Cork, Yoloha Yoga, Watson & Wolfe, CorkLane, Ina Koelln, Rok Cork, Portugalia Cork and Carl Fredrick; surprisingly, H&M even launched a collection made from this vegan leather.
LEAF LEATHER
Leaf leather is a product that is made from a variety of leaves most commonly teak leaves, palm leaves, rain, banana and lotus leaves. The fallen leaves are soaked in water, dyed, and arranged flat together to dry. Drying the leaves bonds them and this in turn produces large sheets of leaf leather with a leaf pattern. After that, the leaf layers are bonded with cotton fabric to create a durable leather-like material, which creates a softer interior when needed.
Mulbtex™ is a fabric with a cotton base, coated with mulberry leaf pulp that is 100% plastic free. Working with a group of small artisan studios in Seoul, Korea, they are committed to using 100% vegan and cruelty-free materials. Mulbtex™ has a silky shine making it as strong as silk, it is lightweight, waterproof, weatherproof and ages/weathers like natural leather.
Brands using Leaf Leather include Thamon, Tree Tribe and Gunas New York – a brand that produces handmade vegan leather handbags that are made from Mulbtex™.
FLOWER LEATHER
Another development is Flower leather – also known as “Fleather” which has been developed in India from discarded temple flowers, by Kanpur company Phool. Fleather was developed with the help of the Indian Institute of Technology and has won the Peta Best Innovation in Vegan Fashion during Lakmé Fashion Week 2020.
Although not yet in commercial production, Phool hopes to begin its production of bio-leather in the near future, to add to its current eco-range. This product not only helps give an alternative to animal leather but also helps to cut down on the amount of waste tipped into the Ganges river from the use of temple flowers by up-cycling them into durable and fashionable leather-like products.
PAPER LEATHER
Paper leather is a is a versatile alternative to leather that comes in either a form that feels like a scrunchy paper or more like a harder leather. When waxed it can be water resistant and has increased flexibility. It’s tear proof, tough, drip dries, and bounces back to its original shape. Unlike soft leather, jacron paper is very durable, and is extremely strong, resistant to high-tear and abrasions. This is possible thanks to the way the paper is made using wood pulp, which is press-heated with rubber particles.
Due to the molecular structure of this material, it can be washed in the washing machine, as the high-density of the wood pulp polymers allows it to be effectively repellent to water and provides protection from moisture.
Known as Jacron paper – it was first used in the 1950s in jeans tags, also called jacrons. Thanks to its durable and water-resistant qualities, jacron paper was adopted by Levi’s to replace leather tags. Whilst paper leather isn’t so soft and useful for clothing, it’s being utilized more and more for labels, bags, bins and totes.
One brand of paper leather, which comes in a wide variety of colours, thickness and finishes, and can also be printed, laminated, coated or screen-printed, is Texon Vogue, a durable cellulose solution which is manufactured using eco-friendly processes, accredited by both the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC®) and OEKO-TEX®, professional bodies which ensure that the material is responsibly sourced and produced, and it also carries the globally renowned Vegan Trademark.
Another brands using jacron include Unfold.love who specialise in carry goods, like bags, rucksacks, wallets and cardholders. They work with Jacron paper and other sustainably sourced materials such as cork and are 100% vegan-friendly and do not use any unnecessary chemical additives or toxic dyes.
Brands using paper leather include Nudie Jeans Labels, Uashmama, Kula Bags, and Warm Grey Company.
KELP LEATHER
Kelp leather is a flexible, versatile, and durable leather-like fabric made from ‘kelp’, a brown seaweed species, with a long, tough stalk and broad frond. This seaweed is the fastest-growing organism in the world, able to reach a daily height of 36 inches – it even outgrows bamboo, the world’s fastest-growing plant which is able to grow 24 inches a day.
Kelp is harvested from coastal waters, so it doesn’t require fertilizers, pesticides, or other toxic chemicals usually required for land plants and it is known to absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide (C0²) which helps to slow down global warming and ocean acidification. Kelp seaweed also absorbs farm run-off, which is responsible for blooms of toxic algae and ecosystem collapse.
BIO - MATERIAL LEATHERS
Lab leathers use processes from nature to mimic and create more sustainable options, and many start-ups are moving into the lab grown leather space (bioleather), aiming to displace chrome-tanned leather. Lab leathers are made through a process of DNA editing that grows collagen from yeast which is grown from fermentation – a bit like brewing beer. It even starts as a liquid and can be poured into different shapes, textures and patterns.
A few firms, including Modern Meadow and VitroLabs, want to go beyond mimicry by making a leather material out of lab-grown collagen. It’s cutting-edge stuff, which may be why the firms declined to be interviewed for this article.
TEA LEATHER
Tea Leather – also known as Kombucha leather, is made from SCOBY bacteria used in making kombucha tea. Tea leather is a biomaterial, also known as ‘teather’ or SCOBY leather, which refers to the “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast”, which is the process used to make it.
Tea leather was developed using the by-products of fermented green tea by researcher Young-A Lee and her team at Iowa State University. Lee found that a green tea-based cellulosic material can perform in the same way as leather, and after the team combined this material with a hemp-based lining on the inside, the result was tea leather; an eco-friendly alternative as durable as animal leather which is biodegradable.
The process produces a gel-like film consisting of cellulose fibres, which are the natural byproduct of kombucha tea, that has the appearance and flexibility of leather. The gel-like film grows thicker with each brewing as the natural cultures feed on the dissolved sugars. It can be grown and created much easier than traditional leather because no animal products are needed. During the growing process, the material can be manipulated to be as thin, thick, or flexible as desired; Once it reaches the desired thickness, it is harvested, dried and formed into the desired shape for the required end product. This type of leather can actually be produced at home, unlike all the other alternatives.
Biomaterials like tea leather have been slowly gaining popularity in the fashion industry, and Suzanne Lee is another leading professional in the field of SCOBY leather with the Biocouture research project and her own company BIOFABRICATE.
It should be noted however, that Kombucha leather often uses beeswax in the SCOBY drying process, so some forms may not be technically considered vegan.
SOY LEATHER
Soy leather is a bio-leather made from soybeans. It was originally created in Indonesia by XXLab, from the liquid waste from large scale production of tofu.
“There’s a lot of waste thrown away to the river because of tofu production so [we thought] what we can do [with] this waste and make it into something valuable.”
XXLab takes liquid waste from the tofu production, boils the liquid waste –which would otherwise pollute Indonesian waters, with vinegar, sugar and bacteria -after ten days the mixture forms a microbial cellulose, at which point it can be dried. Once dried, the finished product is a low-cost, sustainable, zero waste and highly-durable leathery fabric that can be used to create shoes, bags, wallets and other accessories.
COCONUT LEATHER
Coconut leather is a plant-based leather material which uses ‘waste’ coconut water, a by-product from the harvesting of white flesh from inside mature coconuts, that would otherwise be discarded. This vegan leather is produced by a company called Malai which means ‘cream of the crop’ in a North Indian language. Malai started as a research project of two people – Su Smith – a product designer and maker from Kerala (a province in the South of India) and Zuzana – a material researcher and designer from Slovakia.
Malai work alongside Southern India’s coconut farmers where processing units dispose of up to 4000 litres of this water per day; this can grow 25kg of cellulose. Normally this wastewater would be released into the drainage system, which causes pollution of water and the soil to become acidified.
The production process involves collecting and sterilizing the coconut water for the bacterial culture to feed; it is then fermentation, refined, and enriched with natural plant-based materials to create a leather-like product. The result is a flexible, durable material comparable to leather or paper. It is water resistant and because it contains absolutely no artificial chemicals or ingredients – and will not cause any allergies, intolerances or illness. It is a completely vegan product and according to the producers “you could even eat it!”.
Malai is usually created in sheets in a range of thicknesses and is available in a range of colours, achieved through the use of mordant-free natural dyes, which results in a leather alternative that produces a soft sheen or patina over time; it can also be made into seamless three-dimensional vessels or objects using a moulding technique, which is still under development.
CONCLUSION
It’s clear that our food system is broken, and our planet is paying the price, and while new government policies have the potential to create a huge shift in our food system, the good news is that we, as individuals, already have the power to combat climate change through our food choices.
What we eat is one of the biggest contributors to our individual carbon footprint, and although every piece of food we eat makes its own impact on the environment, some foods make much more of an impact than others and becoming vegan can ease our diet’s burden on the planet.
There are also many alternatives in terms of choosing vegan products, with vegan leathers being just one example. Entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to bring sustainable leather alternatives to consumers and it’s clearly an exciting time to have so many vegan leather alternative materials expanding the market.