Eco-leather is not an environmentally friendly material, explained eco-trainer Elena FRANSKEVICH. Many mistakenly refer to artificial leather as eco-leather, but this is incorrect. In most cases, it refers to synthetic leather made from materials such as polyurethane or PVC, the production and disposal of which cannot be considered environmentally safe.
The correct definition of eco-friendly leather is natural leather, which is a byproduct of the food industry (waste from production) and is tanned using plant-based tannins. There are several brands offering such solutions.
For example, the company FruitLeather Rotterdam has developed leather made from mangoes. They collect unsold mangoes and process them: the fruits are boiled, then turned into puree and dried. As a result, dense sheets of material resembling leather are produced, from which bags and shoes are made.
Manufacturers of this type of leather use food industry waste, which helps reduce the amount of waste on the planet. The production process of this leather alternative causes significantly less harm to the environment compared to the production of synthetic “leather.” Artificial leather made from organic materials is biodegradable, although with some caveats.
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