The vegan leather revolution, a new environmentalism

Fashion never seems to have to connect?with science. This is a subjective, cutting-edge self-perception and aesthetic trend, which is associated with handcraft, ingenuity or ingenuity.

But everything always changes. The new environmentalism was pushed to the apex in the several tossing of consumption ideas. The fashion industry can no longer use so-called "environmental scraps", such as an occasional eco show or lip service, to make consumers pay.

The public needs to see action, and when they pull out their wallets, they need to pay for the brand's pioneering influence, intrinsic value, and actual execution. A new wave of environmentalism has emerged one after another, and luxury brands have since taken over the banner and started a new round of vegan leather revolution in the raw material sector.

1.Mango, Cactus and Mushroom

You may have heard that mangoes, apples, grapes, pineapples, and even cactus and mushroom mycelium have all been tried to make Vegan Leather vegan skins.

Although the production process and production process are slightly different, the technical paths that can produce plain leather can generally be divided into three categories.

The first is in the physical sense of stripping. The famous pineapple leaf vegetable leather Pi?atex relies on this for the main processing process. The pineapple leaves are separated by machine and then sun-dried to obtain the original raw material. This method requires the plant's own high fiber content and toughness. The brand has tried other fruits in the Philippines such as bananas and coconuts, but the results were not satisfactory and finally chose pineapple.

The second technical path is the addition of mixtures, and most companies that make mango skins, grape skins and cactus skins use this method. The production process is to grind the plant raw materials, add other non-toxic chemicals, mix them and then dry them. The reason why other substances must be added instead of directly using physical peeling is that the fiber feel and content of such plant materials are often lower than the first one, and drying immediately after peeling is not enough to produce a tough enough texture.

The third path is component regeneration, which is often used in the production of mushroom mycelium and the bacterial fermentation of coconut water. This method does not only rely on the fiber of the plant itself, but also provides the plant as a nutrient or parasite to provide feeding function or structural stereotyping function. The resulting leather raw material is another substance.

These are the three main technical paths of Vegan Leather vegan leather at present. Of course, the boundaries between them are not absolutely clear. For example, the fibrous pineapple leaf leather Pi?atex also needs to add corn-based polylactic acid in the post-processing process. In the finishing process, it is also necessary to apply resin topcoat to the surface to enhance durability and waterproof. The processing methods, these three technical paths have produced distinct differences.

2.Mass production, performance and environmental protection

The difference in the raw materials and the difference in the technological process also determine the difference in the actual performance of these plain leather fabrics, and their advantages and disadvantages are also obvious.

For example, although mushroom skin hand feel?is soft, the fiber is short and not durable enough. Mango peels have the same problem.

In addition, these fruits and vegetal skins will have the problem of dyeing and coloring instability.

On the one hand, based on the uncertainty of upstream raw material supply, these waste fruits are donated by suppliers to leather technology factories with free. It is difficult for leather manufacturers to ensure the uniformity of fruit color and variety, so the color and texture of subsequent leather products are also different. will be slightly different. For example, mangoes from the Palmer variety produce a plain skin that is closer to brown, while Keitt mangoes are closer to black.

On the other hand, the material itself reacts differently to various color fuels. According to Guo Pei, the designer interviewed by China Business News, even the most mature pineapple peel in the plain peel field has its hardness affected by the dyeing method.

In addition, although the price of vegan?leather may be lower than that of cowhide or sheepskin, it is not very cheap, which is due to the efficiency of the industry supply chain. Except for a few leading companies, a large number of plant and fruit peel manufacturers do not currently have the capacity for mass production, so the production capacity is extremely limited.

Of course, vegan leather is not without advantages, and environmental protection must be its primary label.

From the perspective of raw materials, in Europe, more than half of mangoes are imported or traded in the Netherlands, and 12% of the food is wasted. The appearance of mango leather?in the Netherlands has effectively reduced the problem of food waste.

Without cowhide and sheepskin, the emission of methane, carbon dioxide and other substances produced by raising cattle and sheep can also be reduced from the source.

Secondly, from the perspective of the intermediate production process, many chemicals that are harmful to the environment are used for tanning leather, and vegan?leather can reduce the use of these chemicals.

Clothing and footwear production accounts for 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and polyester, the most widely used apparel fabric, is largely made from fossil fuels, according to the European Parliament Service and the United Nations. If vegan leather can replace part of cowhide or sheepskin, the environmental impact will be huge.

Plant-based vegan skins are more easily decomposed from the point of view of final recycling and disposal. Take Malai's coconut water leather as an example, if it wants to be destroyed later, it can be decomposed naturally within 150 days.

3.Gaming, abandonment and the future

However, we should be wary of some absolute statements, such as vegan leather is 100% environmentally friendly.

Dr. Anika Kozlowski, assistant professor of fashion design, ethics and sustainability at Ryerson University in Toronto, believes that many plant-based leathers still contain plastic because we are using "these natural mixtures of raw materials and other substances".

Because the plastic part of these mixtures does not biodegrade, but instead breaks down into microplastics, releasing toxic chemicals in the process. "It will exist in the environment for hundreds of years, just like polyester fiber." And many companies that produce leather substitutes do not disclose every material added and used before the final product is formed, and it is still difficult for consumers to know. Is the process as environmentally friendly as the brand says.

Behind the game is the huge interests of the leather industry.

According to Grand View Research, the synthetic leather market is worth more than $30 billion in 2020, and this number is expected to grow to $40.5 billion by 2027, but this is only a small piece of the leather industry. In 2020, the overall leather market The capacity is close to $400 billion.

However, the pioneering and speculative nature of the fashion industry still makes them decide to take the first step. Many luxury brands, including Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Burberry, have begun to pledge to give up the use of rare animal skins.

In August 2019, led by Kering Group, more than 60 companies and more than 200 fashion brands signed an agreement on the fashion industry, deciding to implement environmental protection into more detailed indicators.

Hermes is precious in rare skins, and despite some hesitation, it finally decided to enter the game. The mushroom buns launched since then are moving closer to this trend.

At present, there are several leading companies in the industry in the United States, Europe, and Mexico. The rapid rise of the plain leather industry has actually driven the development of some regional industries.

Pi?atex collects pineapple leaves in Cambodia and realizes mass production. After opening an offline store in London, more local factories began to pay attention to vegetable leather.

Indian start-up Malai has started feeding cellulobacteria with coconut water as fertilizer, and Mycotech, an Indonesian mycelium leather manufacturer, has orders?for 2027, with an annual production capacity of 2,000 square feet and an increase from 5 to 30 employees .

For Southeast Asia, the profound changes brought about by the vegan leather industry are not only the increase in employment opportunities, but also the improvement of industrial status. In the process of participating in the global manufacturing industry, they are finally not standing on the lowest-end chain, and have the opportunity to help the cutting-edge and dreamy fashion industry.