Post by account_disabled on Feb 28, 2024 15:46:07 GMT 10
XWe have shown different products made with sustainable leather, ranging from sneakers , accessories and bags. And yes, leather is everywhere in shoes, handbags and luggage, winter jackets and elegant furniture, but its effect is seen all over the world.
To create these leather items, billions of cows are slaughtered each year. The livestock sector, which produces both food products and leather, is the largest use of agricultural land worldwide. Grazing land and fodder crops for livestock results in deforestation, elimination of vital carbon sinks, destruction of ecosystems, and damage to nearby communities. Cows also produce methane: a potent greenhouse gas linked to climate change.
Leather harvested from cattle and other animals goes through a three-step process: preparation, tanning, and scabbing (and sometimes also finishing).
Tanning makes the leather supple and removes hair, fat and meat, and during scabbing, the material is thinned, dried, softened and colored through the use of chemicals and machinery.
Waste from these processes is full of carcinogenic chemicals, such as chromium, a heavy metal used in tanning, and is often dumped into the waterways of countries without strict environ C Level Executive List mental protection laws, such as India, China and Bangladesh.
Raw material innovations to create sustainable leather.
Some of the materials used are:
Cactus
Beneath the prickly exterior of a cactus, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez have found a new alternative to animal-based leather. The two developed Desserto: a type of sustainable leather made from the cactus, more colloquially known as the nopal.
sustainable leather
Major leather goods retailers like Karl Lagerfeld, Fossil, and Everlane have started selling products made from cactus-based leather . Mercedes-Benz has even incorporated Deserttex, the company's faux leather product for automobiles, into an electric car prototype.
According to the company, the product saves ,% water compared to animal leather and % compared to polyurethane-based vegan leather.
pineapple leaves
Inspired by Barong Tagalog, a traditional Philippine garment made from these fibres, he founded Ananas Anam and developed the pineapple leaf-based product Piñatex, which is now used by Hugo Boss, H&M, Paul Smith and Nike. The company works with Filipino pineapple farmers, collecting leaves that would otherwise have been left to rot and therefore turning this agricultural by-product into a new and valuable product.
About sheets are used to create one square meter of Piñatex, a sustainable leather that weighs and costs less than traditional leather. The cellulose fibers are dried in the sun, purified and then made into a mesh that is finished with a plant-based resin. The entire process generates almost no waste, Hijosa told CNBC in an interview, while % of leather hides are typically wasted in the traditional leather-making process.
Palm leaves
Dutch designer Tjeerd Veenhoven pioneered Palmleather over a decade ago, getting ahead of the alternative leather curve. He wanted to find a use for the rarely used leaves of the million Areca Betel Nut palm trees growing in southern India.
sustainable leather
He discovered that brittle leaves become more flexible when soaked in a biological softening solution made with glycerin, water and a few other ingredients. Now, local factories in India, the Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka manufacture Palmleather, a sustainable leather that can be used to make bags, book covers, shoes and the iconic and unique Palmleather filigree rugs.
Mycelium
Mushrooms are magical and many industries have been harnessing their power to break down plastic , fertilize fields, and erect buildings. With its versatility and low environmental impact, companies are taking advantage of the opportunity to grow products with mycelium – the threadlike root structure of mushrooms.
To create these leather items, billions of cows are slaughtered each year. The livestock sector, which produces both food products and leather, is the largest use of agricultural land worldwide. Grazing land and fodder crops for livestock results in deforestation, elimination of vital carbon sinks, destruction of ecosystems, and damage to nearby communities. Cows also produce methane: a potent greenhouse gas linked to climate change.
Leather harvested from cattle and other animals goes through a three-step process: preparation, tanning, and scabbing (and sometimes also finishing).
Tanning makes the leather supple and removes hair, fat and meat, and during scabbing, the material is thinned, dried, softened and colored through the use of chemicals and machinery.
Waste from these processes is full of carcinogenic chemicals, such as chromium, a heavy metal used in tanning, and is often dumped into the waterways of countries without strict environ C Level Executive List mental protection laws, such as India, China and Bangladesh.
Raw material innovations to create sustainable leather.
Some of the materials used are:
Cactus
Beneath the prickly exterior of a cactus, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez have found a new alternative to animal-based leather. The two developed Desserto: a type of sustainable leather made from the cactus, more colloquially known as the nopal.
sustainable leather
Major leather goods retailers like Karl Lagerfeld, Fossil, and Everlane have started selling products made from cactus-based leather . Mercedes-Benz has even incorporated Deserttex, the company's faux leather product for automobiles, into an electric car prototype.
According to the company, the product saves ,% water compared to animal leather and % compared to polyurethane-based vegan leather.
pineapple leaves
Inspired by Barong Tagalog, a traditional Philippine garment made from these fibres, he founded Ananas Anam and developed the pineapple leaf-based product Piñatex, which is now used by Hugo Boss, H&M, Paul Smith and Nike. The company works with Filipino pineapple farmers, collecting leaves that would otherwise have been left to rot and therefore turning this agricultural by-product into a new and valuable product.
About sheets are used to create one square meter of Piñatex, a sustainable leather that weighs and costs less than traditional leather. The cellulose fibers are dried in the sun, purified and then made into a mesh that is finished with a plant-based resin. The entire process generates almost no waste, Hijosa told CNBC in an interview, while % of leather hides are typically wasted in the traditional leather-making process.
Palm leaves
Dutch designer Tjeerd Veenhoven pioneered Palmleather over a decade ago, getting ahead of the alternative leather curve. He wanted to find a use for the rarely used leaves of the million Areca Betel Nut palm trees growing in southern India.
sustainable leather
He discovered that brittle leaves become more flexible when soaked in a biological softening solution made with glycerin, water and a few other ingredients. Now, local factories in India, the Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka manufacture Palmleather, a sustainable leather that can be used to make bags, book covers, shoes and the iconic and unique Palmleather filigree rugs.
Mycelium
Mushrooms are magical and many industries have been harnessing their power to break down plastic , fertilize fields, and erect buildings. With its versatility and low environmental impact, companies are taking advantage of the opportunity to grow products with mycelium – the threadlike root structure of mushrooms.