Search Results for: leather alternative

Stella Mccartney hydefy

© Stella Mccartney
Leather Alternatives

Hydefy Introduces Fungi-Based Leather Alternative with Stella McCartney’s New Handbag

A new fungi-based textile developed by Hydefy has been launched in the fashion industry through a debut collaboration with luxury designer Stella McCartney. The partnership brings to market a high-performance, sustainable alternative to traditional leather, offering a cruelty-free solution that combines durability and aesthetic appeal. Hydefy’s material is derived from fungi discovered during NASA-backed research in Yellowstone National Park. Through a proprietary fermentation process, Hydefy is created by combining the fungi with sugarcane waste. The result is a versatile, vegan material that is designed to be both environmentally responsible and highly durable. This textile is being marketed as a suitable alternative for use in fashion, automotive, and interior industries, with the capacity for customization and rapid prototyping. Stella McCartney, a long-time advocate for animal-free and …

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Pineapple-based leather alternative

Credit: Sustainability (2023). DOI: 10.3390/su152115400
Leather Alternatives

Researchers Develop Plastic-Free Pineapple-Based Leather Alternative With Higher Strength Than PU

Scientists at Thailand’s Mahidol University have developed a new pineapple-based leather alternative that is claimed to have excellent strength and sustainability properties. The bio-based material is made by mechanically extracting pineapple leaf fibers from waste pineapple leaves. These fibers are divided into two groups; some are treated with sodium hydroxide, while others are left untreated. The fibers then are formed into non-woven sheets and coated with compounded natural rubber latex, before being heat-treated and compressed. The material can be dyed with natural colorings such as carrot, spent Thai red tea, and spent coffee grounds. Following the development of the pineapple leather, a study published in the journal Sustainability has analyzed its tensile properties, tear strength, and hardness. The results indicate that the material’s tensile strength …

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Tina Funder. © ALT.Leather
Investments & Acquisitions

Australia’s ALT.Leather Closes Oversubscribed $1.1M Round for Biodegradable Leather Alternative

Female-led Australian startup ALT.Leather has raised $1.1 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round after developing a plastic-free, bio-based leather alternative. Investors in the round included Startmate, The Austin Group, Wollemi Capital Group, The Alice Anderson Fund, and various angel investors. ALT.Leather will use the funding for further research and the production of samples for interested brands; the startup is also filing for a patent. ALT.Leather’s material is made from agricultural waste and regeneratively grown plants, with no animal products or petroleum-derived plastics. It is suitable for fashion, furniture, the automotive industry, and more. The leather alternative is “designed for end-of-life”, and is being tested to ensure it can be recycled or biodegrade without harming the environment. Bio-based vegan leather ALT.Leather was founded by Tina …

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Really Clever biomaterials

© Really Clever
Materials

$475M Invested in Next-Gen Materials in 2022, Leather Alternatives Dominating Sector

The Material Innovation Initiative has published its third State of the Industry Report for the next-gen materials sector. The report notes that $3 billion has been invested into next-gen materials since 2013, with $457 million raised in 2022 alone. This figure was lower than the “unprecedented” spike to $1.135 billion in 2021, with the fall blamed on a challenging funding environment caused by the global economic downturn. However, more funding was raised in 2022 than in any year prior to 2021. Leather alternatives still dominate the sector, with 64 companies working in this area compared to 15 for silk, ten for wool, and nine for fur. Seven companies are working on alternatives to down, and one on exotic skins. Currently, 52% of the materials used …

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Really Clever biomaterials

© Really Clever
Facts & Figures

Really Clever: Biodegradable Leather Alternatives Made From Mushrooms & Algae

UK-based startup Really Clever is developing fully biodegradable vegan leather made entirely from mushrooms and algae. Really Clever describes itself as a “fungal discovery platform”, examining the characteristics of various types of fungi and matching them to relevant applications. The company claims it can customise every aspect of its leather alternatives and iterate the material in just 72 hours. Despite only having launched this year, Really Clever is already attracting interest from both the fashion industry and investors. The startup closed a pre-seed funding round earlier in the year, with participation from Hoxton Ventures and various angel investors. In the near future, Really Clever plans to raise £7.2 million, which it will use to open a 28,000-square-foot facility. This will allow the brand to begin …

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tote bag CORKonLINEN

CORKonLINEN tote bag ©Bag Affair
Non-Food

Introducing CORKonLINEN: a Unique and Compostable Leather Alternative

The patented French material CORKonLINEN was produced after more than a year and a half of research and development by RTFACT BRANDS, composed of only three elements: Portuguese cork, French linen and a water-based glue. “We started in 2019 with the idea of replacing the cotton used in our bags and fabrics with linen. As you may know, we always need a textile under the cork to produce a fabric from it,” states the French team. “The idea was to use linen instead of cotton. Why? Because in France there is no cotton but France is the biggest producer of linen. In addition, cotton (even organic) uses a lot of water, pesticides and fertilizers.” According to RTFACT BRANDS, “CORKonLINEN is currently THE ONLY material with …

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Sommers plastic PETA

Image: Sommers Plastics
Company News

Sommers Leather Alternatives – Saving Animals by the Yard

Since 1947, Sommers (Originally, Sommers Fabrics, later, Sommers Plastics) has been supplying alternative leather and skins to fashion industries including footwear, handbags, apparel, accessories, and luggage and leather goods. With the advent of flexible plastics soon after WW II, the ability to reproduce leather-like materials economically had major, mass appeal.

leather-biodegradable

© Drobot Dean - stock-adobe.com
Market & Trends

Rapid Growth for Vegan Leather Alternatives: Market Volume Expected to Reach $85 Billion by 2025

According to a report by management consultant Grand View Research (lnk GVR), the global market for leather alternatives will grow to $85 billion over the next decade. Lower manufacturing costs for artificial leather and growing consumer awareness of the conditions in the leather industry are important growth factors. In addition, the technological and qualitative progress of imitation leather is accelerating growth, as is the availability of new plant-derived materials.

© PUMA
Shoes

PUMA to Phase Out Kangaroo Leather in Favour of Vegan Alternative

German sportswear brand PUMA has redesigned its KING football boot, replacing kangaroo leather with a vegan alternative. Called K-BETTER™, the new material consists mostly of nylon microfibre (of which at least 20% is recycled) and is said to outperform kangaroo leather in terms of touch, comfort, and durability. PUMA is so pleased with the material’s performance that it plans to phase out kangaroo leather boots altogether by the end of the year. The updated KING features a lightweight outsole with an external heel counter, a stability spine, and conical studs. Additionally, it has a lightweight removable sock liner with NanoGrip technology. A custom fit is available for women. Kangaroo-free boots PUMA launched its first vegan football boot — the King Plantinum 21 Vegan — about …

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Cultivated leather

© Pelagen
Materials

Meatable and Pelagen Partner to Improve Scalability of Cultivated Leather

Cultivated meat company Meatable has partnered with animal-free leather producer Pelagen to improve the efficiency and scalability of cultivated leather. Through the partnership, Pelagen will explore the use of opti-ox™ — a technology developed by Meatable co-founder Mark Kotter to program stem cells into any cell type — to enhance the production of skin tissue from animal cells. The two Netherlands-based companies will also collaborate to develop the most effective cell culture media composition and process, with the aim of lowering costs, improving quality, and increasing speed and efficiency. Pelagen specializes in creating biologically comparable leather alternatives by engineering skin tissue without animals. The collaboration is significant for Meatable since it marks the company’s expansion outside the food industry. “We are proud to partner with …

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© Noel Kinder
Leather Alternatives

Ex-Nike Sustainability Head Joins UNCAGED Innovations to Advance Grain-Based Leather

UNCAGED Innovations, a biomaterials company developing grain-based leather alternatives, has announced the addition of Noel Kinder, Nike’s former Chief Sustainability Officer, to its Board of Directors. With more than two decades of experience at Nike in sustainability and operations, Kinder’s appointment signals UNCAGED’s growing focus on scaling its innovative materials and expanding its global footprint. UNCAGED Innovations is the developer of BioFuze, a technology that produces a sustainable, grain-based alternative to leather by replicating the molecular structure of collagen. The resulting material offers flexibility, strength, and texture similar to traditional leather but avoids the environmental impact associated with animal-derived materials. The company has set its sights on industries such as footwear, which consumes more than 50% of the world’s leather supply. Kinder, who served in …

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Image courtesy of Beyond Leather Materials
Leather Alternatives

Beyond Leather Materials and TAKT Launch Designer Chairs Featuring Vegan Upholstery Made from Apple Waste

Two Danish companies — Beyond Leather Materials and the furniture house TAKT — have partnered to create high-quality furniture that combines Scandinavian design with environmentally friendly materials. After years of collaboration, the companies have finally introduced eight of TAKT’s design chairs upholstered with Leap, Beyond Leather Materials’ vegan-certified leather alternative made from apple waste. The collaboration marks the first time Leap is used in furniture and TAKT’s first vegan upholstery option. “At TAKT, we aim to create furniture that is as good for the planet as for the people, and Leap fits perfectly into that vision,” said Michael Lysemose, Product Developer at TAKT. “We wanted to offer an animal-free option that would still be of high quality and would match with our Design Principles, and …

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Natural colors

© Lantana Bio
Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Biotope Unveils Fifth Cohort Focused on Solutions for Leather, Food Waste, and Natural Colors

Biotope, a Belgian biotech incubator and early-stage investor, has revealed the three startups selected to be part of its fifth and latest cohort: Corium Biotech, I-Challenge, and Lantana Bio. Launched by the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Biotope aims to bring agrifood startups to seed-stage readiness within 18 months, de-risking biotechnology investments to drive innovation in the biotech space. Annick Verween, Head of Biotope, shared: “Biotope focuses on potentially impactful solutions which can benefit from a dedicated biotech ecosystem to support them. Our new, fifth cohort is a perfect reflection of this mission – all of the startups represented are passionate entrepreneurs with groundbreaking biotech solutions that have the power to create lasting change for people and the planet.” Leather, food shelf life, and natural …

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vitrolabs_leather

© VitroLabs
Leather Alternatives

Vegan Bio-Based Leathers to Grow by 37.4% Annually Over the Next Decade

The push for sustainable alternatives to animal and plastic leathers has led to a burgeoning market of vegan bio-based leathers. According to a 10-year market forecast by IDTechEx, the vegan bio-based leather industry production capacity will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.4% from 2024 to 2034. Leather is a sought-after material for its durability, strength, and aesthetic appeal. However, the report points out that according to UN estimates, animal leather production exceeds 20 billion square feet annually, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. Additionally, the tanning process of leather production releases hazardous chemicals and gases, including lead, chromium, arsenic, and carcinogenic arylamine. Meanwhile, vegan leather made from plastics, a common alternative due to its low cost, has environmental issues, including …

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Apple waste for upcycled leather

© Beyond Leather Materials
Leather Alternatives

Leap by Beyond Leather Materials Earns USDA Biobased Certification with 91% of Apple Waste Content

Denmark’s Beyond Leather Materials announces that its alternative to leather Leap has earned the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Biobased Product Label, showcasing its 91% biobased content. Made from apple waste from European juice and cider production, Leap is an environmentally friendly, next-gen material that is said to deliver a leather-like performance, feel, and touch for use in small leather goods, furniture, home decor, and soon, automotive. As a 100% animal-free material, Leap has also recently earned the Vegan Trademark certified by The Vegan Society. Mikael Eydt, co-founder and CEO of Beyond Leather, shares, “Earning the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label for Leap® with 91% biobased content is a testament to our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved when we …

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Cadillac's SOLLEI

© General Motors
Materials

MycoWorks and GM Unveil Cadillac EV SOLLEI, the First Car with Mycelium Leather Interior

Biomaterials innovator  MycoWorks and its previous investor, General Motors, partnered to co-develop mycelium materials tailored for car interiors in 2022. Two years later, the companies introduced what they claim to be the first automobile to incorporate a mycelium bio-based material as an alternative to plastic and leather. The automobile, Cadillac’s latest concept EV SOLLEI, features MycoWorks’ Fine Mycelium in an iridescent version in the charging mats on the console and door map pockets, showcasing its versatility in sustainable automotive design. As Cadillac’s design director Erin Crossley stated, the new concept aims to redefine travel and material usage with an optimistic, celestial-inspired design. “The SOLLEI concept cultivates the vision for limitless expression and artful integration between travel and leisure,” he added. Pioneering mycelium materials MycoWorks, founded in …

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India’s PA Footwear in collaboration with the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, has developed Vegan Virya, a biodegradable leather alternative made from sugarcane bagasse.

© Chinnasami Anbumalar
Leather Alternatives

India’s P A Footwear Unveils Eco-Belts Made With PETA-Approved Sugarcane Leather

In collaboration with the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), India’s P A Footwear has developed Vegan Virya, a biodegradable leather alternative made from over 95% plant-based materials, mainly sugarcane bagasse, including 60% agro waste content. P A Footwear is a family-owned business that has significantly grown from producing 500 pairs of shoe uppers daily to having the capability to manufacture 2 million pairs of leather shoes and uppers annually. The company specializes in making stitch-down shoes, catering to a niche market in men’s and children’s footwear. The company employs over 2,200 skilled workers across its six manufacturing plants, including its vegan division in Ranipet, which launched in 2023. The sugarcane leather sheets come in multiple non-fading colors for fashionable bags, sandals, suitcases, …

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Uncaged Innovations closes seed round for leather made from grain

© UNCAGED Innovations

Investments & Finance

UNCAGED Innovations Raises $5.6M for “World’s First” Sustainable Leather from Grains

New York-based UNCAGED Innovations today announces it has raised an oversubscribed $5.6M Seed investment for its sustainable leather made from grains. The round was co-led by Green Circle Foodtech Ventures and Fall Line Capital, with participation from Ponderosa Ventures, Golden Seeds, and existing investor InMotion Ventures, the investment arm of JLR (Jaguar Land Rover). This investment will be used to bring the product to market, increase production, and expand the team. The latest capital follows the company’s 2023 pre-seed round in which UNCAGED secured $2 million. Director and Head of Sustainability at JLR Rossella Cardone commented at the time, “This is in-line with our strategy on the sustainability and provenance of the materials we use. We must embrace new material possibilities, new processes, and new …

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Beyond Leather Materials partners with Veshin

© Beyond Leather Materials/Veshin
Leather Alternatives

Beyond Leather Materials & Veshin Factory Collaborate to ‘Redefine the Material Landscape’ with Upcycled Apple Waste

Beyond Leather Materials, a Danish scale-up producing an alternative to animal leather, has announced a partnership with the sustainably progressive design and manufacturing facility Veshin. Using apple waste from European juice and cider production, Beyond Leather Materials produces an 89% bio-based leather alternative called Leap. Through the new partnership, the two companies will use the material to create products for various markets, including the fashion, home, and furniture sectors. The collaboration will allow brands worldwide to easily source and manufacture products made with Leap. Veshin Factory has been chosen due to its focus on next-gen alternatives to animal-derived materials, along with its commitment to ethical practices and transparency. The facility specializes in luxury bags and accessories made with materials that prioritize the well-being of animals, …

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Otter Box iphone range

© OtterBox
Leather Alternatives

OtterBox Launches Desserto Cactus Leather Cases for iPhone 15 and Apple Watches

OtterBox launches a new and luxurious mobile phone case made from Desserto, a plant-based material derived from the Nopal cactus, to the iPhone 15 series and Apple Watches. According to the company, the Symmetry Series cactus leather cases can withstand everyday drops and bumps. The case also features raised edges for added protection around the display and camera. The Symmetry Series Cactus Leather Case is MagSafe compatible, so MagSafe accessories can be connected at any time. The OtterBox Apple Watch band made from cactus leather rounds off the range of accessories and is designed to be worn all day long. The cactus leather watch bands are characterized by precise stitching and perfect integration with the Apple Watch, according to the company. Made from the same …

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