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 Leap delivers on both fronts.”

TAKT's chairs now offer an animal-free upholstery option.
Image courtesy of Beyond Leather Materials

Furniture with transparency

Made with regionally available apple waste, Leap is a renewable material featuring 91% USDA-certified biobased content. It is said to offer a premium look and feel without compromising quality while significantly reducing CO2 emissions compared to traditional leather chairs.

“We believe in transparency and recognized external certifications to ensure there is substance behind every piece we create”  

Each chair upholstered with Leap has CO2 emissions data validated by third parties to enable informed and responsible consumer choices. For example, TAKT’s bestseller, the Cross Chair, upholstered with Leap, has a climate impact of 30.23 kg CO2, compared to 64.58 kg for the leather version; a 53.20% reduction in emissions. In addition, products upholstered with Leap are certified with the EU Ecolabel, highlighting their reduced environmental footprint.

“It lies within our mission to openly explain the efforts we make at TAKT. We believe in transparency and recognized external certifications to ensure there is substance behind every piece we create. That’s why calculating the environmental impact and earning the EU Ecolabel have been essential steps in incorporating Leap into our designs,” Lysemose added.

Beyond Leather Materials and the furniture house TAKT, introduced eight chairs upholstered with Leap, a vegan-certified leather alternative made from apple waste.
Image courtesy of Beyond Leather Materials

Animal-free materials

Founded in 2017 in Copenhagen, Beyond Leather Materials aims to become a leading supplier of next-gen materials that can replace leather and synthetic leather. Its mission is to “make waste beautiful and make every piece of wasted resource valued and transformed into high-quality materials.”

Mikael Eydt, co-founder and CEO at Beyond Leather, says that the journey to incorporate Leap into TAKT’s products involved overcoming challenges, ultimately leading to refining Leap to meet the furniture industry’s rigorous standards.

“It’s really exciting to finally see Leap enhancing TAKT’s timeless designs as an animal-free upholstery option”  

After significant scaling, Leap is available in 1.5-meter-wide rolls in five standard colors and four textures, with many more to come. Leap is suitable for various applications, from fashion to furniture to automobiles.

“Our collaboration with TAKT is rooted in the shared principle of celebrating transparency all the way through our businesses. We’ve been in conversation for two long years, so it’s really exciting to finally see Leap enhancing TAKT’s timeless designs as an animal-free upholstery option.”

The chairs upholstered with Leap are available for consumers, appealing to individual and commercial buyers interested in sustainable alternatives to leather.

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