In our recent blog What is the status in January 2023 of 100% plant based alternative leather textiles? we reported on the innovations of which we were aware whose business was the development and of course commercialisation of 100% plant based textiles to replace the toxic synthetics of polyurethane, PVC et al. In this post we add to the information provided earlier.

This is the summary in that blog of the plant based alternative leather textiles in January 2023:

• Cork leather continues as it has done and is (by most brands) plastic-free and compostable. Products made from the bark of cork oak trees are not claimed to replicate the look or feel of real leather, they are accepted as alternative materials to real and vegan leather in their own right and are truly circular as they degrade.
• Similarly the material made from bananas only – Bananatex® – does not replicate the look or feel of real or vegan leather being more akin to a canvas look. The products made in this material are also truly circular as they return to the earth. Bananatex® is the sole brand in this overview which has 3rd party vertification.
• The materials made from plant or flower waste and without the PU component are Fleather, Forager™, TREEKIND®, Nova Milan and MIRUM®.
• The first 3 of these brands have attracted interest and funding in their development but branded products not launched yet.
• A brand of sandles made in Nova Milan material is apparently to be released in early 2023.
• The 100% plantbased material MIRUM® is definitely the leader of the pack here. Significant investment for growing and scaling for fashion applications and automotive applications, significant fashion brands have released products using the material from footwear to pockets on outerwear, a strong partnership with a manufacturer that does only sustainable and vegan products, and strong support moving forward.
• The lab-grown material Bio-Tex™ has been developing for some years. Questionable whether it should be included in this overview given the component of bio-PU and it’s commercial take-up also appears slow in the fashion world.

Since publication of that blog post, we have become aware of 2 more businesses creating bio-leather. 1 still in development phase, 1 is in the market.

LaVeg™

LaVeg™ alternative leather is a plant-based alternative to traditional animal leather and to synthetic leather that is made by the Brazilian company Amadeu Materials. It is a premium biomaterial that is made from natural rubber and cotton, which are sustainably sourced from the Amazon rain forest. Vegan, 100% plant based, no plastic, recyclable, biodegradable.

LaVeg™ is available in a range of thicknesses, colours and textures. Pigments are non-toxic and 100% absorbed by the rubber, which means no liquid residues are discarded in nature.

Work is done according to the ISO 140001 Environmental Management standards and the company is a Certified B Corp.

LaVeg™ is in the market now.

LOVR

LOVR is made in Germany by company Revoltech. The fabric is made from hemp residues, the left-overs in the fields after the hemp is harvested. Hemp is leading organic material, grown without pesticides, so a powerful ingredient for the textile.

LOVR has been development in a variety of textures and has all the claimed attributes of plastic free, 100% plant based, vegan, biodegradable, recyclable. It is not yet commercially available.

Summary

In the previous blog we noted that MIRUM® made in the USA by Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) was the ‘leader of the pack’ of the bio-leathers included and commercially available.

We now add that LaVeg™ is commercially available.

So positive for the environment, workers and animals to see the successful development of plant based replacements for the toxic fabrics. Onwards and upwards to brands like James&Co only selling the plant based leather look fashion pieces and retailers transitioning only to the plant based fashion.