"Vegan leather" - good material or good marketing?

With the rising demands for „animal and cruelty free leather“ come many misconceptions. First, vegan leather alternatives are commonly made from petroleum-based components and synthetic materials.⁠

Even newer, so-called „next-gen materials“ rarely manage without synthetic binders or a PU-based coating. Such synthetic components are made from petroleum, a dirty resource that is finite and, as we understand it, in no way animal-friendly.

To us, vegan leathers are not a responsible solution to buying real leather and it's important that we stay honest and open with you. But with all the green promises, hardly anyone can see through them these days. So what is a good material, and what is just good marketing?

Today we share the most popular vegan leathers broken down by material components. ⁠

Cactus leather from Desserto

Desserto is a leather alternative made using cactus leaves. The content of cactus varies - according to sources it is around 13%. Other ingredients are cotton, polyester and polyurethane, some of them bio-based. Cactus leather is neither biodegradable nor recyclable.

Apple Leather from Vegatex

Vegatex ist a company that produces apple-based leather. Dried fruit skins from the apple processing industry in South Tyrol are mixed with polyurethane, backed on polyester and/or cotton and finished with a waterproof coating. The content of apple is between 10-30% depending on the formulation. The final product is not biodegradable and difficult to recycle.

Piñatex pineapple leather

Being one of the first leather alternatives on the market, Piñatex is made using the fibers of repurposed pineapple leaves that are mixed with polylactic acid made from corn. The fibrous product has a coating made of PU that makes up between 10 to 36% of the total product. Additional chemical substances make Piñatex soft and flexible. Due to the high content of PU and the mix of materials, it is neither biodegradable nor recyclable.

Mushroom Leather from Mylo and Reishi

The best known mushroom leather is „Mylo“, consisting of mycelium and upcycled local agricultural waste. lyocell and synthetic material is added to Mycelium to turn it into a raw product that is tanned by a German tannery. While mycelium itself is renewable, it is not clear what exactly Mylo consists of, but the water-based PU finish results in a product that is non-biodegradable.