#1 Fish Leather
Fish leather is a by-product of the seafood industry. Recycling the waste of it helps minimize landfills. At the same time, this type of sustainable leather production requires no extra energy.
Since it is basically made out of waste, it does not endanger marine biodiversity and it does not require raising cattle, thus minimizing carbon emisisons.
In terms of quality and durability, fish leather is ten times stronger than calf leather. The reason for that is its natural cross-fiber structure.
#2 Pineapple Leather
Piñatex® is made of fiber from the waste leaves of pineapples. These leaves are a by-product from existing pineapple harvest. Therefore, similar to fish leather, pineapple leather does not require any additional environmental resources to produce.
The founder of Piñatex® is Dr. Carmen Hijosa – “an ethical entrepreneur with a vision for a more sustainable future that connects people, environment and economy”.
Pineapple leather is used across fashion, accessories & upholstery. More than 1,000 brands worldwide has already incorporate it in their designs. These include Hugo Boss, H&M and the Hilton Hotel Bankside.
#3 Cactus Leather
Cactus leather was invented in Mexico in 2019 by two entrepreneurs – Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez. It is made from Nopal and the whole production process is quite eco-friendly.
It requires a minimum amount of water, about 200 litres to produce a kilogram of dry material. Usually, rain water is enough. Desserto, the company behind the revolutionary product, uses only organic cactus sourced from a farm in Zacatecas, Mexico.
Additionally, the production of cactus leather requires only the mature leaves of the plants. After that, it takes between 6 and 8 months for the leaves to grow again.
Cactus is also “a natural carbon sink”. Desserto claims that it manages to absorb 8,100 tons of CO2 per year from 14 acres of cactus crops, while they generate only 15.30 tons of CO2 annually.
Probably, the only disadvantage is that nopal leather could keep its high quality for about ten years.
Which one would you choose for your next pair of shoes?
