Most of us are aware by this point of how much cattle and other animals affect the environment. So it may seem unsustainable to choose cow leather. However, given that the “vegan leather” alternative is actually simply plastic, cow leather still prevails in terms of durability and reduced waste.
But what should you do if you don’t want to wear leather made from animals or help make virgin plastic? Introducing cactus leather to you. This novel leather substitute, like mushroom leather, has a lifespan comparable to that of animal leather without the polymers found in conventional “vegan leather.” Too good to be true? Evidently, no.
We met with Tessa Carroll, the brand’s creator and creative director of AC Official, which uses cactus leather. She covers all the essential information regarding cactus leather below.
Can you explain what is cactus leather? How do you make leather out of a cactus?
I collaborate with the creators of Desserto, a biomaterial made from cacti that can replace animal leather. The mature leaves of a prickly pear cactus are harvested, and the proteins and fibers inside are extracted to create an organic bio resin that is then coated on a carrier.
Cactus leather is being heralded as a much more sustainable option than other vegan leathers? Why is this?
This is due to a variety of factors, including the fact that cacti fields are significant carbon sinks, meaning that just the act of producing them helps to trap carbon from the atmosphere. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that cacti don’t need a lot of water to survive. This indicates that they use exponentially less water during growth and harvest than, say, waxed cotton. In actuality, Desserto’s property has no irrigation systems in place. The cactus are cultivated organically, without the use of pesticides or herbicides, and are solely watered with rain. Additionally, the cactus’ mature leaves are removed when it has reached its full size (this takes 6–8 weeks at most), leaving the root system in the ground and preventing the release of carbon from the soil. Working with Desserto has been an amazing experience because they take sustainability into account at every stage of the value chain. from the management of land resources all the way to the actual content
How does it compare to animal leather in terms of sustainability?
In plain English, leather is not a natural product by the time it gets into the hands of the consumer, whether it is a by-product of the meat industry or not. One of the most resource-intensive manufacturing processes is the production of leather, which requires a staggering amount of poisonous chemicals to keep it from decomposing while in our possession and water to grow the grass that was used to feed the livestock in the first place. One kilogram of leather is said to require 17,000 liters of pure drinking water. Additionally, due to the quantities of harmful chemicals in the soil, EPAs (Environmental Protection Agencies) classify former leather tannery sites as inactive for a specific amount of time after their use, much like a gas station. Finally, when leather is recycled into waste, it absorbs these toxins into our soils, making them unusable for growing anything until they are regenerated.
Does cactus leather last and have a similar longevity to animal leather?
The longevity of leather is one of its many benefits. But this contributes to the issue as well. Things that last forever will always require a place to live, whether it’s in your closet, a charity shop, or just a landfill. Although Desserto offers a wide range of materials with varying technical capabilities, they can totally replace leather without sacrificing quality and, with the help of the proper designer, without sacrificing style.
Does cactus leather biodegrade?
The most advanced version of Desserto’s sustainable materials, which can contain up to 92 percent organic carbon derived from plants, is highly biodegradable and offers a variety of levels of sustainability. Depending on the textile’s use, it is backed with a variety of different textiles. At A C Official, we choose a backing made of 100 percent organic cotton, but there are additional textiles made of recycled cotton and polyester and a rubber option for furniture.
Do you think this is a better option?
Absolutely. We have till 2021 to change the course of the world, but time is running out. By utilizing cutting-edge plant-based materials, we can open the discussion about Who Made My Handbag and What Is My Handbag Made of while also dramatically reducing the environmental effects of the fashion industry. Objectivity, openness, and sustainability. What should more people be aware of regarding the leather industry, in your opinion? With 20% of the Amazon currently deforested, cattle ranching is the primary cause of this destruction. Every year, we lose an area the size of the UK to this.
The leather business employs poisonous chemicals that are harmful to individuals and the environment, including insecticides, chromium salts, tanning liquor, sulphide, and many more unpleasant substances. It produces enormous amounts of waste during the tanning and production processes, and presently, 80 percent of leather is tanned with chrome in the world, which is obvious in the health of the employees who breathe it in on a daily basis. Not to mention the animal’s life that it needs for survival. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to recover all of the pollutants produced by the tanning process, even in highly modernized tanneries. Although vegetable tanning is a good idea, it does not eliminate the need for the natural resources that were used to raise and harvest the animals in the first place. If we care so much about how much energy it takes to manufacture a hamburger, shouldn’t we also care about how much energy it takes to make our wallet?
Is cactus leather safe for the environment?
The unquestionable necessity to go green is being handled in the fashion industry with distinctive style. Desserto, a textile company located in Mexico that creates a velvety, waterproof vegan leather replacement completely from Nopal Cactus, is one of the most interesting newcomers to the market. T.A. Walsh penned the article.
The unquestionable necessity to go green is being handled in the fashion industry with distinctive style. Sustainable materials are becoming increasingly popular, from vegan leather created from recycled pineapple harvests to heels that turn reclaimed cork into stylish footwear.
Desserto, a textile company located in Mexico that creates a velvety, waterproof vegan leather replacement completely from Nopal Cactus, is one of the most interesting newcomers to the market. Together, designers Marte Czarez and Adrin Lpez Velarde created a vegan leather that is both high-quality and versatile by combining their expertise in the fashion, automotive, and furniture industries.
Desserto’s founders had a long experience of dealing with leather, and given its severe environmental impact and the cruelty involved in breeding cows for their hides, they grew deeply concerned about it. They made the decision to develop a premium vegan leather that is free of all the hazardous baggage since they have a keen awareness of the requirements of luxury companies.
The leaves of the Nopal cactus plant, which may be picked without harming the plant, are used to make cactus leather. Desserto raised a variety of native plants that are natural to the area and require very little water to grow.
All of Desserto’s cactus plants are raised on a ranch owned by Velarde and Czarez in the Mexican state of Zacatecas. They take care to maintain the plant’s health and life by harvesting materials leaves from their adult cactuses every six to eight months. This ranch uses no irrigation because it is committed to long-term health rather than maximizing resource extraction. The cactus can be cultivated in Zacatecas with only rainwater and naturally occurring earth minerals.
After being gathered, the water-saving, CO2 absorbing raw material is processed without the use of any harmful chemicals to produce high-quality, convincing vegan leather. The resulting impermeable, strong, and aesthetically beautiful biodegradable cactus leather is silky to the touch.
the first organic substance derived from the nopal cactus, or “Highly sustainable is the prickly pear cactus. The fabled capacity of the nopal plant to take up carbon dioxide. It needs very little water to develop, just as many other desert plants. Their cactus requires only 200 liters of water as opposed to the usual plant’s 1,000 liters, which is required to generate 1 kilogram of dry material.
Additionally, the food business receives 50% of the harvested leaves from Desserto. This indicates that a single crop yields two goods. This multifunctional advantage of cactus leather is significant because a projected worldwide food crisis is one of the most important climate change-related worries.
While all vegan leathers are free from animal testing and thus a vast improvement over conventional leather, the environmental advantages of cactus leather are far greater.
Some traditional leather businesses attempt to claim that they use a “that would otherwise be thrown away. Although there is some truth to that, the majority of leather is treated with chromium, a highly toxic substance that seriously harms the environment. Without harmful chemicals that leak into water systems, cactus leather is made naturally. The well-known fact that raising cows significantly increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is fully eliminated by cactus leather.
You might be asking what can be done with cactus leather now that we know it is ethically sourced, environmentally friendly, and completely cruelty-free. The short answer is that traditional quality leather can be used for just about everything.
As well as the inside of cars and upscale furniture, cactus leather has also been utilized to create cute handbags, vegan leather shoes, and faux leather coats. Desserto and House of Fluff have teamed up to create leather jackets that are as durable as nails. In the world of footwear, CLAE has introduced the original Cactus leather sneaker in a distinguishing shade of green.
Cactus leather can it be recycled?
The mature cactus leaves are trimmed, cleaned, mashed, and dried to create this vegan leather that is highly recyclable. The resulting cactus fiber is then blended with a textile backing, a toxic-free glue, and a particular kind of polyurethane tailored to break down more quickly.
Does cactus leather include any plastic?
The fashion sector, which is second only to the oil industry in terms of global pollution, has identified material innovation as a potential hero. Another approach has been established in response to pressure to address issues such as plastic waste. Deep Science x High Design, Memory Wool Fabric With Super Abilities, and vegan cactus leather are all products of this one.
The fashion industry is looking for a completely new strategy when it comes to how they conduct business as the deadline for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was accepted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, approaches. Leading with a certain amount of naiveté when it comes to celebrating material advancements is not the way to go; the industry must first fully grasp the situation. The material revolution is far more nuanced than those who promote the breakthroughs make it seem. Making advantage of “Dr. Ashley Holding and Paula Lorenz utilize the term “sustainable marketing trickery” to describe the hype surrounding innovative milestones that, while impressive on paper, may not actually deliver.
Vegetarian leather sounds delicious. So much so that the industry’s excitement over a Mexican startup named Desserto’s introduction of a leather substitute manufactured from cactus did not come as a surprise. The fact that the cactus leather wasn’t entirely devoid of plastic was kept a secret. I hear you asking, “What?” I recently learned that Desserto only used cactus to make a portion of their vegan leather; the remainder was described as follows in a recent article by Dr. Ashley Holding and Paula Lorenz “unclear chemicals Although the founders have stated that the chemicals they utilize are non-toxic, Desserto has not publicly acknowledged this fact. The Mexican business instead focused on the fact that their product was “PVC Free,” meaning it didn’t include any specific kinds of plastic.
When Sustainability Marketing Trickery Need Not Apply
Mirum is not only less harmful to the environment because it is recyclable and biodegradable, but it also addresses the issue of microplastics. “Have you ever noticed how the coatings on materials that look and feel like synthetic plastic leather tend to ‘flake’ off over time? According to Dr. Luke Haverhals to Dr. Ashley Holding and Paula Lorenz, this issue is frequently made worse by plastic-natural hybrid materials because they frequently adhere to plastics less well due to decreased chemical compatibility.