New leather substitutes: meeting the need for eco-friendly materials
Leather is a material that is widely available and has many different uses, such as shoes, clothes, upholstery, and car interiors. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that the yearly output of animal leather surpasses 20 billion square feet, and it is highly valued for its strength, resilience, and visual appeal. However, raising animals is the main source of deforestation and one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Numerous customers and companies are calling for alternatives because of growing worries about the sustainability of animal hides, their influence on the environment, and the ethics of utilizing them.
Certain manufacturers have transitioned to using plastic leather, commonly known as synthetic, fake, or faux leather, or vegan leather. Due to its cheap cost, plastic leather has replaced leather in many applications. However, the petrochemical feedstocks used in plastic leather, the difficult disposal of the material, and the presence of microplastics raise serious sustainability problems. While a worrying quantity is improperly handled and discharged into the environment, the majority of plastic leather is disposed of in landfills. Therefore, the quest for a sustainable substitute for animal leather cannot end with plastic leather.
Many firms are trying to break into the market for vegan bio-based leather substitute materials as a result of increased consumer and brand demand for sustainable leather alternatives. The materials are designed to rival both synthetic and animal-based leathers for all leather applications. A number of fashion labels, including Zara, Burberry, H&M, Hermes, Nike, and Ganni, have started to investigate the use of vegan bio-based leather in their product lines. Numerous companies have partnered with the major producers of vegan bio-based substitutes.
An array of new participants and growing alternative leather technologies
Almost $1 billion has been invested in substitute leather materials; this is a quickly evolving technological environment that should be followed. One may roughly categorize companies in the vegan bio-based leather industry into four primary technological areas:
- Leather derived from plants
- Mycelium leather
- Microbial leather
- Leather produced in a lab
Over 70 businesses are creating vegan bio-based leather substitutes for animal and artificial leather, according to a research. The majority of them were formed in the previous three to five years, and they vary in size from modest exploratory startups to businesses that have raised hundreds of millions of dollars to start ramping up production. A few significant companies in the market for both plant-based and mycelium leather are about to establish large-scale plants and ramp up production for their respective materials.
The market environment for vegan bio-based leather has been thoroughly dissected, with technologies examined and contrasted.
Given the industry’s young stage and optimistic future, it is anticipated that the market leaders will expand considerably based on its evaluation of the player landscape. Additionally, new players are expected to continue to join the sustainable vegan leather market.
Evaluating the present state of newly developed substitute leathers
Depending on the use, leather applications have different performance requirements. These uses include a broad range of industries, such as clothing, upholstery, footwear, and fashion. While certain bio-based leathers have complied with the norms and aesthetic specifications of conventional leather, there is still room in the market for better material qualities.
Additionally, the degree of technological preparedness and the capacity for production scaling should be taken into account while evaluating these materials. These will establish if a business can maintain price competitiveness while emerging as a preferred supplier for manufacturers and customers.
