Desserto

On a 14-acre farm in Zacatecas, Mexico, Adriano Di Marti harvests the gem of its natural leather: nopal, or cactus. Dubbed Desserto, the plant-based material is partially biodegradable, made without any toxic chemicals, and compliant with all the technical specifications required by the fashion, leather goods, and furniture industries. Plus, it only takes three cactus leaves to produce one linear meter of Desserto. The hard work is being recognized: In March, PETA awarded Adriano Di Marti the Compassionate Company Award for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and H&M debuted Science Story, a sustainable fashion collection featuring soft, smooth Desserto bio-based leather.

Bolt Threads Mylo mushroom leather made its fashion garment debut in Stella McCartneys latest runway show.

Mylo

Underfoot, mycelium is an ecological apparatus that helps break down organic matter and deliver nutrients to plant life. At Emeryville, Californiabased company Bolt Threads, the renewable resource is engineered with a medley of organic matter that then gets tanned and dyed to create Mylo, a soft yet durable leather alternative that has already attracted interest from fashion labels. Most recently, the company partnered with Stella McCartney to debut the first-ever Mylo garments, adding to a collaboration with Adidas on its Stan Smith Mylo sneakers.

Phool.cos Fleather helps keep the Ganges river clean of flower waste.

Fleather

When Ankit Agarwal noticed that temple-flower wastederived from religious Indian flower offering that generates some 8 million tons of flora annuallywas polluting the major waterways in the region, he sought to find a better use of the remnants. Cue Phool.co, which relies on flowercycling technology to produce a range of biodegradable products including Fleather, a waste-free plant-based leather alternative.

Frumat uses agricultural byproducts to create its AppleSkin leather.

AppleSkin

Developed in northern Italys Tyrol region, known for its sweeping apple orchards, Frumats AppleSkin faux leather recycles the fruits discarded peels and cores. The waste is processed to create a cellulose-based material, which comes in an array of vibrant colors, textures, and thicknesses. The makers fashionable collaborators include accessories brand Luxtra, which has created handbags using AppleSkin. The manufacturers Apple Paper is also widely used in the production of stationery, tissue, and packaging materials.

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