Calvin Klein pineapple leaf sneakers

© Calvin Klein

Fashion, Design & Beauty

Calvin Klein to Launch Pineapple Leaf Shoes

In a bid to address the ecological impact of fashion, Calvin Klein has partnered with Ananas Anam and TENCEL™ to launch “The Sustainable Knit Trainer.” This product marks Calvin Klein’s debut into sustainable footwear, with the shoe’s knitted upper composed of a blend of PIÑAYARN® and TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers. As the fashion industry comes to terms with the environmental repercussions of synthetic fabrics, brands are turning to plant-based alternatives like PIÑAYARN®. Derived from discarded pineapple leaves, this material employs an environmentally friendly spinning process that conserves water. Blending this material with TENCEL™ Lyocell, sourced from responsibly managed forests, further elevates the sustainability of the trainer. TENCEL™ Lyocell is produced using a solvent spinning method that recycles over 99% of the solvent and water, ensuring complete …

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Ananas Anam Piñatex

©Ananas Anam

Materials

Ananas Anam Partners With FORVIA for Pineapple-Based Automotive Interiors

Ananas Anam has announced a collaboration with automotive technology leader FORVIA to develop vehicle interior materials made from waste pineapple leaf fibres. The two companies have formed a Joint Development Agreement, with Ananas Anam contributing its knowledge of developing eco-friendly pineapple-based materials and FORVIA bringing its expertise in automotive technology. The news comes as the latter company launches MATERI’ACT, a new unit with the purpose of developing sustainable materials. Sustainable car interiors At the beginning of 2022, sustainability was described as a key trend in the automotive industry. It was recently reported that all BMW and Mini cars will have fully vegan interiors from next year, while a study in May found that 70% of drivers would be interested in purchasing an animal-free car. A …

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KIDS SANDALS Zara Pinatex

© PIÑATEX

Fashion, Design & Beauty

Piñatex Continues to Create Impact at Scale With New ZARA Collaboration

London-based B-Corp Ananas Anam announces a new collaboration with fast-fashion giant ZARA featuring a range of sneakers, sandals, and accessories made from the company’s next-gen pineapple leather PIÑATEX® . Ananas Anam is convinced that “anything can be achieved as long as all actors in the fashion industry work together towards the same goal.” By providing what it claims to be the most sustainable plant-based alternative to leather commercially available at scale, PIÑATEX® is in an optimum position to partner with ZARA and other fashion brands to increase the plant–based componentry in their products and enhance overall sustainability. PIÑATEX® is the material of choice for hundreds of vegan and sustainable fashion brands around the world, including global lifestyle brands such as Nike, H&M, Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, …

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Dole wins Creative Business Transformation Award

© Dole

Materials

Dole Wins Creative Business Transformation Award for Pineapple-Based Alt-Leather

Dole Sunshine Company, the world’s largest fruit and vegetable producer, has won the Grand Prix for Creative Business Transformation at the Cannes Lions Awards. Dole was recognised for its collaboration with Ananas Anam, a company using upcycled pineapple leaves to produce an animal-free leather alternative called Piñatex. For the past year, Dole has been supplying Ananas with pineapple leaves that would otherwise be wasted, benefitting the environment and both companies. Research indicates that Dole has made over $100 million through the collaboration, while Piñatex is now used by over 1000 companies as a result. These include major brands such as Nike, Saucony, and H&M. “One thing really powerful in this was the idea of waste,” Jury President Ronald Ng told AdAge. “Reaching out to Ananas …

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Saucony with Piñatex

©Saucony with Piñatex®

Fashion, Design & Beauty

Ananas Anam Announces Saucony Partnership for Vegan Pineapple Footwear

Ananas Anam, the producer of vegan pineapple leather alternative Piñatex, has announced a new collaboration with US footwear brand Saucony. The partnership sees the launch of Saucony’s classic Jazz Court RFG made with Piñatex and available now.  London-based B-Corp Ananas Anam has supplied Piñatex as the substitute material for all components and overlays that are usually made with leather in Saucony’s latest release, as the athletic brand looks toward a sustainable business transformation. The Jazz Court RFG are finished with hemp laces and plant-based mesh for a more sustainable look and feel.  The move follows a similar collaboration with sports giant Nike to produce its Happy Pineapple Collection – a collection of seven sneaker editions across five styles made with the latest generation Piñatex.  Zero …

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FIBRAL Material Alliance

© FIBRAL Material Alliance

Fashion, Design & Beauty

FIBRAL Material Alliance Formed to Bring Forward Next Paradigm of Plant-Based Textiles

The founders of three plant-based textile companies have joined forces to create the FIBRAL Material Alliance. The organisation aims to bring together companies and individuals working with both traditional and innovative plant-based fibres. Dr Carmen Hijosa from Ananas Anam, Hannes Schoenegger from Bananatex, and Ricardo Garay of Regenerate Fashion established the international alliance in response to the environmental crisis facing the textile industry. Currently, the majority of fibres are either derived from fossil fuels or rely on destructive intensive agricultural systems. FIBRAL intends to create change by bringing together producers making fibres from renewable, Earth-friendly resources — these include pineapple leaves, hemp, abaca, and agricultural wastes. According to the organisation, these materials have so far been neglected in favour of biosynthetic materials and manmade cellulosics, …

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Melanie Broye-Engelkes Ananas Anam

Ananas Anam CEO Melanie Broye-Engelkes ©Ananas Anam

Textiles

Piñatex by Ananas Anam: “We Are Not Only Developing New Materials For a New World, But Also Building a New Plant-Based Ecosystem”

London-based B-Corp Ananas Anam has just celebrated the fifth anniversary of the commercialization of Piñatex – the innovative natural textile that has taken the fashion world by storm. Made from waste pineapple leaf fiber, the brand claims that Piñatex is the most sustainable plant-based alternative to leather commercially available at scale today. Following a range of fashion collaborations, including with Nike and Mārīcī, Ananas Anam recently penned a historic deal with Dole Sunshine Company – the world’s largest producer of fruit and vegetables, to source raw material for its next-gen materials. We had the great pleasure to speak with Melanie Broyé-Engelkes, CEO of Ananas Anam, to talk about the future of fruit and fashion. Piñatex was the first natural, vegan alternative to leather to really …

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Ananas Anam

©Ananas Anam

Fashion, Design & Beauty

Dole Sunshine Company, World’s Largest Producer of Fruit & Veg, Partners With Ananas Anam to Upcycle Pineapple Waste

The Dole Sunshine Company – the world’s largest producer of fruit and vegetables – this week announced its partnership with Ananas Anam, the London-based creators of Piñatex, a vegan leather made from sustainably sourced pineapple leaf fibres. The collaboration is part of Dole’s commitment to achieve zero fruit loss by 2025. Ananas Anam is a B-Corp™ certified company responsible for developing innovative plant-based textiles disrupting the world of fashion materials and leading the way in sustainability. Its pineapple leather product Piñatex has been used by global lifestyle brands including Nike, Hugo Boss, H&M, Paul Smith and the Hilton Hotel London Bankside for the world’s first vegan suite. Through this partnership, Ananas Anam will produce Piñatex from fiber extracted from Dole’s harvested pineapple plant leaves, which …

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Nike Piñatex

©Nike

Fashion, Design & Beauty

Nike Reveals Happy Pineapple Collection Made from Piñatex Pineapple Leather

Nike has unveiled its latest range of sustainable footwear with its Happy Pineapple Collection. Featuring seven new editions, the range is made with the latest generation Piñatex, a sustainable plant-based alternative to leather made using pineapple leaves. “Design is a connecting tool between people, economics and the environment” The collection comprises seven sneaker editions across five styles; the Free Run Trail Premium, the Air Max 90, the Air Max 95, Air Force One, and the Air-Zoom Type. Complete with an embroidered pineapple graphic as a nod to the range’s sustainable credentials, the move is part of Nike’s Move to Zero initiative with the aim of becoming carbon neutral. Made from pineapple leaves which are the byproduct of existing agriculture, Piñatex is a natural, sustainably sourced, …

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