🌱 Is there a way to make leather better?
We look at alternative leather producers and the brands using them
Happy Monday! Every Monday we suit up and get serious - digging into a climate topic, rounding up the past week’s Good(s) News and sharing updates from across FTF, so you’re never out of the loop.
This week Katherine has dipped her arm into Mary Poppins’ (alternative leather) handbag and pulled out so many interesting and innovative solutions for us to explore! Leather made from cacti? Yes, please! Leather made from seafood leftovers…erm, maybe yes also…we’ll try anything once!
Before you dive into it, a reminder that this week is your last chance to take advantage of the generous offer from Zevero to book a free 30-minute call. Are you looking at your supplier impact data wondering how to interpret it or where to start? We’ve definitely been there! Give Remy a call, we’re sure he can help you get the ball rolling!
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Zevero has worked with brands like MOTH, waterdrop, NICE Drinks and KERB. Today, they’re inviting Following The Footprints readers (that’s you) to a free 30-minute call to see how they can help you or answer any burning sustainability questions.
> In Focus
Alternative Leather Supply Chains
If, like me, you’re a massive fan of new innovations for use in everyday life, specifically ones designed to lessen the environmental impact of conventional alternatives, then you’ll love what we have in store (or in this case, on the shelf) for you!
In past newsletters we’ve looked into materials like seaweed and mushrooms which are breaking ground in their respective spaces; today's article focuses on alternative leather. We look into why alternative leathers are needed, how they’re being produced, and fashion brands that are already being per-sueded (couldn’t help it…) by the growing range of options.
The hid(d)e-n cost of leather
Leather production, often perceived as a by-product of the meat and dairy industries, has significant environmental repercussions. The tanning process, which converts raw animal hides into leather, involves a cocktail of chemicals, including chromium and arsenic, which are not only harmful for ecosystems into which excess chemicals leach, they're also a major health risk to workers. On top of this, animal agriculture is responsible for nearly 20% of the global greenhouse gas emissions and the leather industry's chemical waste is a major pollutant, creating hypoxic zones in water bodies where life cannot survive .
A deeper dive into the numbers reveals more staggering facts: the processing of just one ton of raw skin can generate up to 80 thousand litres of wastewater. It's not just wastewater, the land required for livestock rearing is vast, contributing to deforestation and loss of biodiversity. Clearly there is room in the industry for innovative alternatives to rear (see what we did there?).
Bio-based or bio waste?
As awareness of these environmental issues grows, so does interest in leather alternatives. These materials are not only cruelty-free but also significantly reduce environmental impact. Here are just a couple of the leather alternatives making their way onto the market:
Mushroom Leather: Companies like Ecovative are pioneering the use of mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, to create leather-like materials. Their mycelium grows in just a matter of days, without any toxic chemicals or plastics used to produce the final products.
Shell leather: TômTex have produced a material made from seafood shell waste, harnessing the strength of chitosan in shells, to make the material without any plastics or toxins. Their materials have since been featured at New York Fashion Week.
Fruit Leather: Derived from the waste of fruit industries, fibres from pineapple leaves and apples are being used to produce materials like Piñatex and apple leather, used by brands like nae and Matt and Nat.
Lab-grown Leather: Polybion are developing lab-grown leather, which involves growing collagen - the main protein in animal hides - in a lab setting. Polybion creates a circular system by repurposing waste of the fruit industry for feedstock to the microorganisms producing the collagen. This method eliminates the need for animal slaughter and significantly reduces its footprint. Celium produced by Polybion has only 10% of the emissions of traditional leather.
Grain leather: UK-based Arda Biomaterials, like Polybion, are creating a circular system by using spent grain from the beer industry (in their words - don’t worry your beer is still safe!). Their New Grain, while still in the developmental process, is plastic free and uses non-toxic chemicals.
Cactus Leather: Produced using cacti which sequester carbon during growth, cactus leather is durable and flexible. Companies like Desserto and Cocorose London are using this material to produce not only fashion items but also leather products for the automotive and yachting industries.
These innovative materials aim to provide alternatives that reduce the environmental footprint of traditional leather while creatively repurposing waste from other industries. However, it’s worth noting that many bio-based leathers incorporate plastics like polyurethane to enhance durability. This can bring up concerns about microplastics and biodegradability. When choosing vegan leather products, consider the qualities that matter most to you.
Faux-ward thinking
Big names in fashion are taking note and incorporating these alternatives into their collections. Ganni, for example, recently unveiled a line using bacteria-grown leather, Celium, just earlier this year at Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Similarly, from as early as 2009, Stella McCartney launched their now iconic Falabella bag produced from 100% vegan materials. The fashion house continues to innovate with materials like VEGEA and YATAY made from winemaking by-products, and agricultural waste and recycled fibres, respectively.
With so many innovative materials hitting the shelves, from mushrooms to cacti, it's clear that the future of leather fashion is looking not solely animal based. Whether you're already a fan of these innovations or just starting to explore, there’s never been a better time to see how your wardrobe choices can make a positive impact. Who says being stylish has to cost the earth?
Follow up with…
> Last week in consumer goods x climate…
The Good(s) News
Up and coming brands…
🎯 Faith in Nature have partnered with Trivium Packaging to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging in celebration of their 50th anniversary. They’ve updated their plastic bottles with 100% post consumer recycled aluminium, removed plastic separators and incorporated a double-locking mechanism to eliminate secondary packaging.
🎯 Heura Foods released their 2023 impact report sharing that they’ve reduced their carbon footprint by 23% since 2021. Additionally, they have improved their packaging, which now uses 30% less material and emits 31.5% less carbon compared to their previous packaging.
🎯 Ella’s Kitchen have partnered with Tesco to bring free vegetables to consumers over the next 6 weeks when they purchase Ella’s products. This initiative is to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables.
🎯 Ocean Bottle have been featured in Le Good Society’s “Let’s Live With Less Plastic” exhibition in New York and the Netherlands. The exhibition aims to raise awareness about plastic pollution and runs throughout Plastic Free July.
Bigger organisations…
⭐ R.M. Williams and Kusmi Tea announced they are both B Corp certified!
⭐ adidas has partnered with The Seam for a UK Repair Pilot aimed at encouraging consumers to extend the life of their belongings. Through the adidas website, consumers can submit photos of items they want repaired. The items are then sent and returned via mail, directly to their doorstep.
Want good news sooner? We post our top 5 stories every Friday on LinkedIn! If your consumer goods brand has good news to share, let us know.👇
> In case you missed it
Want more? Here’s what’s happening across FTF at the moment…
Last week we hosted an event at Nudie Jeans in Soho. What could be better than gathering at the store of one of our favourite brands and welcoming FTF friends and team members?! A big thank you to Gareth and his team at Nudie who made it possible. We put our guests on the spot with an “open mic” challenge to let us know if they think consumer goods can be truly sustainable.
Our very own Ruby Harlow, also the Sustainability and Foundation Manager at Belazu, hosted a B Social (a social event for the B Corp community) this week at Hackney School of Food. The food was amazing and we love the causes they are supporting.
Over at The Check-Out we featured Santos by Monica. Catch up to learn how they are thinking about all the little details when it comes material selection.
That’s it for today!
Want more? Check out ‘The Check-Out’ this Thursday for the latest brands in our basket. In the meantime, if you have any topics that you would like us to dig into, ping us an email on info@followingthefootprints.com to say hi!
Much love,
Team FTF
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