Is it time to switch to fruit-based leather?

In the past few years, there has been a great surge in clothing production, as claimed by Forbes. The fabrics that fashion industries use are now limited, causing people to question the sustainability of fabric production. For instance, the production of cotton has been linked to soil erosion, soil degradation, and water contamination as a result of pesticides. Synthetic fabrics like polyester also have a negative environmental impact. It is made from carbon-intensive non-renewable resources and is believed to be one of the biggest sources of microplastic pollution in the oceans.

Fortunately, there are other alternatives, particularly those that have been developed from agricultural waste. In fact, vegan leather has become a popular choice now because it’s a lot cheaper and is actually cruelty-free. According to PETA, more than a billion cows, pigs, goats, sheep, alligators, ostriches, kangaroos, and even dogs and cats are “cruelly slaughtered for their skins every year.” Vegan leather, on the other hand, is made in an ethical manner.

Vegan leather is known to be created from corn, mushrooms, apples, mulberry tree leaves, coconut, pineapple, mango, and coffee. But according to Coveteur, they can still be hard on the environment. They suggest using fruit-based leather instead, which is “much nice to planet earth.” Nina Marenzi, the founder of The Sustainable Angle, also agrees: “Sourcing materials from a wider variety of fibers, including innovations appearing now made from food waste, algae, regenerate cellulose, recycled sources is the way forward.” So instead of contributing to wastage caused by food consumption, why not transform your waste into something useful and turn it into a fashion statement?

Piñatex is one of the most famous fruit-based vegan leathers. It’s made from pineapple leaf fibers, which are sourced from the Philippines, then transported to Spain. Piña is also one of the fabrics used to make our national dress, the Barong Tagalog. Other than the fact that they’re cruelty-free, they also provide additional income to farmers.

Nuuwaï

Nuuwaï is an award-winning Germany-based vegan brand creating modern bags made of apple skin. To make their apple leather, Nuuwaï takes the fruit waste from the apple industry (which is largely from apple juice production), dehydrate and ground it into apple powder. Apart from using apple leather for their bags, Nuuwaï uses 100 percent recycled plastic bottles and fishing nets for their bag’s linings. For its packaging, the brand also doesn’t use plastic, but cotton dust-bags.