A biotech start-up spun out from Newcastle University in 2019, 3D Bio-Tissues (3DBT) is at the forefront of producing bio-equivalent tissues for clinical and cellular agriculture. We apply novel bio-inspired manufacturing processes to generate complex structures.

Since its founding as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company in 1902, 3M (rebranded officially in 2002) has made scientific and technical innovations to launch more than 60,000 products used today in homes, hospitals, schools, and other industries. The original Thinsulate™ Insulation was launched in 1979 and 3M continues to innovate in this space. In 2015, 3M™ Thinsulate™ Featherless Insulation was announced as a kinder alternative to feather down made from 100% post-consumer plastic bottles.

After working in the furniture, automotive, and fashion industries and seeing first hand the problem of leather’s environmental pollution, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez, both hailing from Mexico, founded Adriano Di Marti to create an alternative to animal leather. After two years of research and development, Adrián and Marte showcased their animal-free leather Desserto in October 2019 in Milan, Italy. This plant-based leather is made from a blend of nopal cactus and recycled fibers, offering performance for a variety of applications. In 2021, they launched Deserttex, a cactus blend specifically for the automobile industry.

AltMat is a company focused on creating sustainable textile materials produced from widely available agricultural waste. The company’s flagship product is Altag which can be manipulated to create alternative wool or fur. Altag is a natural cellulose material recycled from agricultural waste from food, medicine, and other non-textile crops. Supported by sustainable circular technology and a regenerative supply chain, it cleanly solves the dual problem of agricultural waste and material pollution.

AMADEU – Amazonian Materials & Design United is a Brazilian design company focused on innovating the fashion and design industry through sustainable materials with more than 18 years of research and practice experience. All their components and materials are from Brazil, including natural latex, rubber sheets, and rubberized fabrics. LaVeg, their next-gen leather, is made of natural latex from live rubber trees and is recyclable, biodegradable, and waterproof. It can also be colored and texturized according to customer requests. The company has a strong presence in the Amazon rainforest, working directly with local communities.

Founded in 2008, AMSilk GmbH is a supplier of vegan silk biopolymers. In 2013, AMSilk presented its innovative range of high-performance Biosteel® fibers for textiles and industrial applications worldwide. Biosteel® fiber is made of spider silk protein produced by genetically engineered microbes and spun into fiber.

Dr. Carmen Hijosa founded Ananas Anam to develop an alternative to animal-based leather. In the 1990s, she worked in the Philippines as a consultant in leather exports and became aware of the detrimental environmental impact of animal leathers. Inspired by the use of pineapple leaf fibers in textiles, she wanted to explore using this raw material to create nonwoven fabric. Her background in design and further study at the Royal College of Art in London led to the creation of Piñatex.

Arda Biomaterials is developing smart biomaterials for the circular economy. Leveraging chemistry, materials science, and biotechnology, waste streams can be valorized into valuable products across textiles, home goods, infrastructure, packaging, food & beverage, and more. Arda’s first product is ‘New Grain’, an animal-free and plastic-free next-gen leather made using spent grain from the brewing industry — an abundant by-product normally destined for animal feed. By using spent grain Arda is skipping inefficient animal agriculture and developing a material that is sustainable, biodegradable, and taps into local supply chains. Wherever there is a brewery there can be New Grain.

Asahi Kasei Corporation is a multinational Japanese chemical company, that is specialized in serving markets with performance plastics, synthetic rubber and elastomers, packaging products, performance coating materials, membranes and systems, and acrylonitrile. At the same time, it serves as a driver for the development of products and product grades to open up new businesses and application areas. Two of their materials can be classified as next-gen leather and next-gen silk: Lamous and Bemberg™, respectively.

Asahi Kasei Corporation is a multinational Japanese chemical company, that is specialized in serving markets with performance plastics, synthetic rubber and elastomers, packaging products, performance coating materials, membranes and systems, and acrylonitrile. At the same time, it serves as a driver for the development of products and product grades to open up new businesses and application areas. Two of their materials can be classified as next-gen leather and next-gen silk: Lamous and Bemberg™, respectively.

Atma Leather was founded in early 2022 by Jinali Mody, a student of Sustainability at Yale University along with industry experts like Shashank Shrivastava who have been working in India’s leather industry for the last decade. Currently, Atma is a 20-member team operating out of Kolkata, India.

Banofi Leather is a disruptive technology developed by Atma Leather that converts banana crop waste into vegan plant-based leather. We are addressing two issues: the pollution and animal cruelty of the leather industry, as well as the growing issue of crop waste. The banana crop generates colossal amounts of waste in the form of stem and leaves. (for every 1 Kg of fruit 8 Kg of stem is wasted). As we transition towards more environmentally friendly and cruelty-free alternatives, we are producing this leather for fashion houses, automakers, and others.

After taking a course on biomimicry in 2016, Hannah Michaud was inspired to create a material using ingredients from food production waste. She met Mikael Eydt, CEO and Co-Founder, in 2017 and the company changed its name from The Apple Girl to Beyond Leather Materials. The company produces Leap™, an upcycled apple waste turned into a plant-based leather alternative.

Modern Meadow Biofabricated Materials began with an initiative to develop a sustainable alternative to leather. They created Zoa™ after six years of research and development and unveiled a graphic t-shirt made from Zoa at MoMA in 2017. Further development led to the creation of Bio-Alloy™ and its application in a wide range of biofabricated materials. In 2021, Modern Meadow announced the joint venture BioFabbrica with the Italian luxury supplier Limonta.

BioFluff is a biotech company that is creating a 100% plant-based and biodegradable fur to help the fashion industry replace animal farming and plastic fur. BioFluff’s provisional patented technology uses plant fibers from several unusual fiber plants – organic in nature, and some from agricultural waste. They are augmented in a fiber pretreatment process to extract technical fibers that are indistinguishable from animal hair in length, shape, softness, and durability. These fibers are assembled with minor retrofitting of existing mechanical processes to mimic different types of animal hair.

Bioleather is an India-based company that produces next-gen leather materials from microbes. In 2019, they launched their first product, Bioleather, a biodegradable material dyed with all-natural ingredients. The company’s mission is to restore biodiversity and reduce the impact of climate change by transforming the global leather trade.

Award-winning artist and self-described nature collector Mira Nameth came up with the idea of using London’s ubiquitous plant litter as the basis for a sustainable material. In 2019, she founded Biophilica to bring this idea to life. The company launched a crowdfunding campaign in September 2020 to raise funds to produce the first 500 m² (~ 600 yd²) of Treekind, their plant-based leather alternative.

Bolt Threads was founded in 2009 by 3 individuals in the bioengineering, biophysics, and biochemistry field with the idea of developing better materials for a better world. In 2012, Bolt Threads launched spider silk fibers to market, Microsilk, and expanded to a 32,000 sq ft facility in 2015. By 2018, the company launched its innovative Mylo material and has continued to innovate in this space. In 2020, Bolt Threads created a consortium with adidas, Kering, lululemon, and Stella McCartney for exclusive access to Mylo.

Bolt Threads was founded in 2009 by 3 individuals in the bioengineering, biophysics, and biochemistry field with the idea of developing better materials for a better world. In 2012, Bolt Threads launched spider silk fibers to market, Microsilk, and expanded to a 32,000 sq ft facility in 2015. By 2018, the company launched its innovative Mylo material and has continued to innovate in this space. In 2020, Bolt Threads created a consortium with adidas, Kering, lululemon, and Stella McCartney for exclusive access to Mylo.

Bucha Bio is a future-oriented biomaterials company helping the fashion industry and beyond improve product sustainability through material innovation. The company’s most advanced material, SHORAI™, is an entirely biobased product that can be used as a replacement for — but not an imitation of — leather. Bucha Bio is currently developing SHORAI™ alongside its fashion and automotive partners in the luxury space.

Founded in January 2020, Carbonwave (previously C-Combinator) is a developer of ultra-regenerative, plant-based, advanced biomaterials from seaweed. The company transforms Sargassum seaweed, a resource long considered waste and that doesn’t need land or other typical aids to grow, into biomaterials that replace derivatives from oil and other harmful industry inputs. Carbonwave is part of a new wave of companies that are building the next-generation economies that will heal the planet through materials that are regeneratively sourced from our oceans.

The mission of Corium Biotech is to elevate luxury by preserving biodiversity.
We are bio-producing exotic leather in laboratory from animal cells to stop animal killing for fashion purposes.

Coronet has more than 50 years of experience making synthetic leather and continues to innovate in this space. With headquarters based in Milan, they also have activities in China and Vietnam. They offer four lines of materials, including BioVeg, a material made with recycled polyester from plastic bottles, and bio-polyols obtained from non-food and GMO-free corn crops. BioVeg can be up to 81% bio-based, which is said to be the highest percentage of biomass available on the market.

Culthread was founded by Rina Einy in 2018 as a vegan brand and produces a faux fur made of recycled plastic fiber. According to the company, about 10 plastic water bottles can produce enough fiber for the outer shell of one Culthread coat.

A search for hypoallergenic solutions for children affected by allergies led to the founding of DevoHome in 2008. The DevoHome team creates fibers, fabrics, and products from hemp grown in the Poltava region of Ukraine without pesticides or herbicides. The hemp fields are located near the processing plant.

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company produces Naia™, a cellulosic fiber made of 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% recycled wasted plastics. It is available as both a filament yarn and a staple fiber.

Eco Supreme produces home goods and apparel made of polylactic acids fibers derived from renewable plant inputs that can be used as an alternative for down filling. Their biodegradable products include bedding and other home goods, apparel, and baby products.

Eco Vegan Leather was founded in 2021 and produces a plant-derived next-gen leather called Ultraw Vegan Leather. The company claims that Ultraw is a cellulose-based material, 100% biodegradable, and manufactured sustainably using a zero-discharge process.

Ecopel is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of petroleum-based faux fur. Committed to phasing out the use of non-renewable fibers, the company partnered with DuPont to create KOBA® faux fur as their first step in this process, in 2019. Two years later, Ecopel partnered with the French faux fur mill Peltex to create Cannaba wool, a material made of blends of hemp and recycled fiber that resulted in fur with a wooly look, often called shearling. Also in 2021, the company announced the development of a GACHA faux fur made from 100% biodegradable fibers.

Ecopel is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of petroleum-based faux fur. Committed to phasing out the use of non-renewable fibers, the company partnered with DuPont to create KOBA® faux fur as their first step in this process, in 2019. Two years later, Ecopel partnered with the French faux fur mill Peltex to create Cannaba wool, a material made of blends of hemp and recycled fiber that resulted in fur with a wooly look, often called shearling. Also in 2021, the company announced the development of a GACHA faux fur made from 100% biodegradable fibers.

Ecopel is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of petroleum-based faux fur. Committed to phasing out the use of non-renewable fibers, the company partnered with DuPont to create KOBA® faux fur as their first step in this process, in 2019. Two years later, Ecopel partnered with the French faux fur mill Peltex to create Cannaba wool, a material made of blends of hemp and recycled fiber that resulted in fur with a wooly look, often called shearling. Also in 2021, the company announced the development of a GACHA faux fur made from 100% biodegradable fibers.

EcoSimple was founded in 2010 to fill the gap in the market for an upscale recycled product. The company uses 100% recycled materials for creating fabrics for fashion, home, and decor. In 2016, they opened their showroom and brand store in São Paulo with updated collections for clients and customers.

ENKA has been manufacturing ENKA® Viscose from cellulose for nearly a century at their production facilities in Obernburg, Germany. ENKA® Viscose yarns have silk-like qualities and are often used for ties, scarves, and linings in clothing and outerwear. The production process has been continually updated as technology has improved to include the most recent environmental standards.

ESG Brands is scaling the world’s next natural fiber, BANEX™. Made from the byproduct of daily banana harvests and through multi-purpose farming practices, this company is developing climate-positive materials and changing the way the textile and broader materials industry utilizes agriculture. Officially founded in 2022 and after years of work, this team consists of agriculture producers, materials scientists and developers, and materials and machine manufacturers all driven by one goal: to bring security to the supply chain in order to scale accessible next-generation materials, and all done while not repeating history.

Founded in 2012, ettitude is a direct-to-consumer sustainable lifestyle brand offering modern bedding, bath, and sleep essentials made from 100% organic bamboo: CleanBamboo™, ettitude’s propriety lyocell fabric, is manufactured from bamboo sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified farms, does not require toxic solvents and is produced on a closed-loop water system.

Evrnu is an advanced materials innovations company focused on developing technologies for the textile industry. The company’s first technology, NyCycl™, addresses these issues by creating a closed-loop system where textile waste can be converted into virgin fiber over and over again. Due to the molecular alignment of the re-polymerized fiber, NuCycl™ can meet the same tenacity performance of virgin synthetics or man-made cellulosic, even after being recycled multiple times. As a lyocell fiber capable of both staple and continuous filament yarns, NuCycl™ may also offer a replacement for silk fibers.

WIth a background in fabric making and embroidery, Shankar Dhakshinamoorthy founded Faborg in 2015. After receiving an inquiry about hemp, he began considering creating sustainable fabrics from other plants, including the Calotropis plant (Calotropis gigantea Giant Milkweed) that grows as a weed in dry areas of India. Only five months after harvesting some sample fibers, he made the first fabric using a blend of Calotropis and cotton called “vegan wool” for its wool-like properties. Faborg uses a patented mechanical process to create its vegan wool, using a standard blend of 30% Calotropis fibers with 70% organic cotton.

The Parisian company Faircraft was founded in 2021 to create lab-grown leather. Faircraft has taken the best of cellular culture, material science, and tissue engineering techniques to come up with a cell-based alternative to traditional leather. Faircraft states that its material meets industry requirements, produces far fewer CO2 emissions, and has great mechanical performance and customization capabilities.

A Fiquetex foi fundada em 2017 para desenvolver produtos sustentáveis feitos de uma planta chamada Fique, usada para produzir cordas, cordas e bolsas. Os cofundadores da empresa começaram a usar os resíduos da planta fique para produzir tecidos não tecidos que encontraram uso na indústria de moda e calçados.

a blend of E-ULTRA and recycled plastics (35% biobased, 50% rPET, 15% fossil)

a blend of E-ULTRA and recycled plastics (35% biobased, 50% rPET, 15% fossil)

a blend of E-ULTRA and recycled plastics (35% biobased, 50% rPET, 15% fossil)

a blend of E-ULTRA and recycled plastics (35% biobased, 50% rPET, 15% fossil)

The company positions itself in the luxury textile sector as an alternative leather producer and supplier. The objective of the company is to offer plant-based leathers that are natural, ecological, and made from local raw materials while following market trends.

Founded by Jeroen Muijsers in 2014, Flocus produces fibers made from kapok, the cotton-like fluff from the seed pods of the tropical tree of the same name. Kapok fibers can be used on their own as a down alternative and can be blended with other fibers to create new fabrics.

Isabella Bruski and Noah Silva met at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in 2018. After learning about the Biodesign Challenge, an international student competition, they decided to create an animal-free material. Silva investigated fibers made from milkweed plants being used by other innovators as a replacement for goose down. Together they experimented with milkweed to create a fur-like textile. Using linen as a base and integrating milkweed filaments, they created Flora Fur, which won the Stella McCartney Prize for Sustainable Fashion at the Biodesign Challenge Summit in 2019. MII considers their material more wool-like in appearance and properties.

Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre developed and patented a method for growing mycelium-based insulation called Greensulate as part of a course project at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 2007, the pair founded Ecovative Design to use mycelium to grow materials that replace plastics and reduce animal slaughter. They first developed and commercialized production of mycelium-based packaging called Mushroom® Packaging, which is used by a number of top brands. Since their founding, the company has received numerous awards and holds dozens of patents for mycelium-based packaging and materials, including a leather alternative.

Koen Meerkerk and Hugo de Boon met as students at the Willem de Kooning Academy. As a class project, they focussed on finding a use for the nearly 7000 kg of plant waste from the twice-weekly fruit market in Rotterdam. Although vendors in Rotterdam are required to pay to dispose of waste, most are simply left behind. They began collecting unsold fruits from the vendors and experimenting with ways of making edible fruit leather (also known as fruit rollups) to create a leather material for applications in accessories and shoes.

Koen Meerkerk and Hugo de Boon met as students at the Willem de Kooning Academy. As a class project, they focussed on finding a use for the nearly 7000 kg of plant waste from the twice-weekly fruit market in Rotterdam. Although vendors in Rotterdam are required to pay to dispose of waste, most are simply left behind. They began collecting unsold fruits from the vendors and experimenting with ways of making edible fruit leather (also known as fruit rollups) to create a leather material for applications in accessories and shoes.

Frumat develops and manufactures sustainable textiles using apple waste from the northern region of Italy widely known for its apple production. AppleSkin™ was created in response to the local issue of apple waste and the increasing demand for ecological alternatives to leather. This next-gen material contains a minimum of 50% apple fiber and can be produced in a variety of textures, thicknesses, embossing, and laser prints.

Compo-SiL® is a patented technology and silicone based material brand invented by General Silicones, which is founded in 1970 and has more than 50 years of experience in manufacturing. Different from other vegan leathers, Compo-SiL® vegan leather is silicone based. Our vegan leather is cruelty-free and has the advantages of silicone, like eco-friendly, weather resistance, durability, and more. With Compo-SiL®’s technology, the problem of silicone adhesion is solved and can be applied in textile, apparel, automotive, anti-slip products, and other markets.

At FUROID™️ is working on the replication of wool fibers (Vikunja, Cashmere and Merino) by utilizing their work on the production of human and animal hair fibers. The bioengineered properties are already produced and ready for scale-up with the use of bioreactor technology. The company’s goal is to provide the means and methods to manufacture bioengineered pelts and wool that will be a source for the textile industry and pelt/wool industry.

Leather is one of the most versatile, durable, and desirable materials in fashion. Gozen Bioworks is a next-gen material company based in San Francisco & Turkey backed by SOSV. No animal-free replacement has been able to meet the top performance specs, until Gozen.It’s not just replacing Impossibly thin yet strong, it’s even soft enough to replace high-end lambskin. Designed with scale in mind, they’re already in talks with major leather users to be the material of the future.

Founded in 1921, Gucci is one of the oldest Italian fashion brands still in operation. The brand began its journey by producing luxury travel goods, as well as equestrian equipment, then adding bags and shoes using premium materials. In 1950 Gucci was considered the preferred brand of Hollywood stars due to its extravagant and opulent designs. Since 1999, Gucci has been part of the French global luxury group Kering. In 2021, after two years of in-house research and development, Gucci launched Demetra, a next-gen material that is said to be made primarily from sustainable, renewable, and bio-based sources.

Gunas was founded in 2009 by designer and animal lover Sugandh Agrawal to create cruelty-free, luxury accessories. Initially made in New York’s fashion district, she now sources and produces shoes and bags in limited editions using small-scale manufacturers in Seoul, Korea. In 2018, GUNAS sourced a material, MulbTex, made in Korea from mulberry plant pulp to use as an alternative leather in men’s bags. In 2019, GUNAS completed a seed investment round to expand its offerings into beauty products, especially for millennial consumers interested in sustainability.

Hemp Black’s parent company is Ecofibre Ltd., an Australian hemp technology company with over twenty years of experience addressing resource sustainability issues. Hemp Black uses innovative technologies to advance the non-toxic and environmentally friendly use of hemp in consumer products.

Material
HEMP BLACK™/ hide is a next-gen leather made with REPREVE® backing, Polyurethane (PU), and a hemp flower extract topcoat. Available in 120+ colors and various textures, this material can be used in applications, especially in seating and home goods.

Technology
HEMP BLACK™/ hide is made with REPREVE® backing, Polyurethane (PU), and a hemp flower extract topcoat. The REPREVE® backing is made from recycled plastic bottles. According to the company, HEMP BLACK™/ hide is produced with 90% less energy and 80% fewer solvents than current-gen synthetic leather. For every square yard of HEMP BLACK/hide, nearly 12 plastic bottles are recycled. The hemp flower extract provides antimicrobial and odor neutralizing properties to the topcoat. HEMP BLACK™/hide meets FAA flammability requirements and demonstrates no discoloration or cracks in any layer, including the topcoat, in crocking tests. The flexibility and drape can be tuned for specific product applications.

made of corn polymer and a small portion of recycled polyester certified by OEKO-TEX®.

COSM™ (Creation of Sustainable Materials) is a division of ISA TanTec that specializes in the development and production of biodegradable materials made from mushroom, mycelium, and plant-based materials. HyphaLite HP is the first product the company launched under COSM and it is made from mushrooms, being ~90% bio-based and biodegradable.

Jacinto & Lirio is a Filipino social enterprise that transforms water hyacinth into sustainably made, multifunctional leather goods with a mission to empower families affected by the problem of water hyacinth infestation, thus generating a viable environmental, social, and commercial solution for poverty-stricken communities and colonial mentality.

The American sustainable-focused brand JORD has developed its own vegan leather called Suberhide made with Portuguese cork fused to a polymeric layer. The next-gen luxury product uses a proprietary process that involves fusing a polymeric layer over agglomerated natural Portuguese corks.

In 1980, Oakland ballet dancers David Lee and Tricia Kaye made knit footless tights that could be folded over at the waist, starting a revolution in dancewear and workout wear. In 1983, the brand moved to New York and regularly sold their products to leading dancers in the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. In 1990, they began using computerized knitting machines, allowing the line to introduce more styles and develop new yarns. In 2019, Kd launched a kickstarter campaign to bring Vegetable Cashmere™ to market, after years of development, testing, and refining.

Keel Labs is a New York-based biomaterial company that creates degradable yarns from seaweed, specifically kelp and other similar types of algae. A substance called alginate is combined with other renewable biopolymers for further processing, resulting in biodegradable fiber that can be knitted into a textile or used in 3D printing processes. The dyeing process is chemical-free. The company’s goal is to eventually replace petroleum-based materials and become a zero-waste fabric suitable for clothing and footwear.

Kintra Fibers is a materials science company that has developed a proprietary bio-based and biodegradable polyester. With the ability to fine-tune resin and yarn performance properties, Kintra yarns are applicable in a wide range of knit and woven textile applications. Some of the fabrics they have created to date include a satin which has a silk-like hand feel, and knit with a cashmere-like hand feel. Additional applications include using Kintra as an alternative to traditional PET polyester, and Nylon.

Kurashiki Co. Ltd. started its business commercializing synthetic rayon in 1926. Decades later, they integrated into their portfolio the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber, and, in the 1960s, they independently developed and marketed the man-made leather CLARINO™. Since then, Kuraray commercialized synthetic isoprene chemical products, and thermoplastic elastomer, among other things before becoming a specialty chemical global company in the 2000s.

Le Qara, “leather” in Quechua, an indigenous Andean language, was founded in 2018 by sisters Jacqueline and Isemar Cruz. They won the H&M Foundation’s 2019 Global Change Award for their bioleather. In May 2020, the company was a finalist in the launch category of the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. Le Qara has filed for patents for its bioleather process and for the product composition and expects to achieve industrial scale production in mid 2022.

The Lenzing Group is an international group with its headquarters in Lenzing, Austria, and production sites in all major markets. Lenzing produces wood-based viscose fibers, modal fibers, lyocell fibers, and filament yarn, which are used in the textile industry – in clothing, home textiles, and technical textiles – as well as in the nonwoven industry. Two of the company’s brands – TENCEL™ and ECOVERO™ – are next-gen materials used in the textile industry – in clothing, home textiles, and technical textiles – as well as in the nonwoven industry.

The Lenzing Group is an international group with its headquarters in Lenzing, Austria, and production sites in all major markets. Lenzing produces wood-based viscose fibers, modal fibers, lyocell fibers, and filament yarn, which are used in the textile industry – in clothing, home textiles, and technical textiles – as well as in the nonwoven industry. Two of the company’s brands – TENCEL™ and ECOVERO™ – are next-gen materials used in the textile industry – in clothing, home textiles, and technical textiles – as well as in the nonwoven industry.

Life Materials by Pangaia Grado Zero conducts research and development in many areas, including performance materials and technologies for furnishing, automotive, and medical applications as well as custom textiles, yarns, and fibers, among many others. Among their materials are BioGreen Padding, a high-efficiency padding polymer, 100% made from natural and renewable resources that may be used as an alternative to down, and MuSkin, a 100% mushroom peel alternative to animal leather, made from fungi that grow on subtropical forest trees.

Life Materials by Pangaia Grado Zero conducts research and development in many areas, including performance materials and technologies for furnishing, automotive, and medical applications as well as custom textiles, yarns, and fibers, among many others. Among their materials are BioGreen Padding, a high-efficiency padding polymer, 100% made from natural and renewable resources that may be used as an alternative to down, and MuSkin, a 100% mushroom peel alternative to animal leather, made from fungi that grow on subtropical forest trees.

LOVR has created an alternative to leather that is completely plastic-free, recyclable, and biodegradable. The company’s material is made from the agricultural waste of industrial hemp cultivation in Germany. Hemp works as an efficient carbon sink has a high density of cultivation, and its availability in the European Union is increasing due to the growing CBD market. LOVR takes a by-product that would otherwise be discarded to turn it into a malleable, non-abrasive, and soft material. According to LOVR, this material saves over 99% CO2 compared to leather.

Metsä Spring Ltd. is an innovation company investing in wood-based, circular economy start-ups. Parent company Metsäliitto Cooperative is owned and managed by 100,000 Finnish forest owners. Metsä Spring seeks and develops new business ideas, domestically and internationally, that further develop the business ecosystem around Metsä Group. Kuura is the company’s cellulosic fiber made of pine and spruce from the certified Finnish forests grown in harsh Nordic conditions.

Miko was founded in 1997 and acquired by Sage Automotive Interiors (an Asahi Kasei subsidiary based in South Carolina, USA) in 2015. Dinamica® is the core material of the Italian brand Miko. This suede-like automotive interior fabric is used by a growing number of top automotive brands, and is made with polyurethane fibers, 70% recycled polyester, and is available in more than 100 colors.

The MINK company was founded by activist and celebrity stylist Rebecca Mink as she searched for sustainable alternatives in luxury products. Over the years the MINK brand has made shoes for Miley Cyrus, Natalie Portman, Madonna, Pamela Anderson, and Jennifer Lopez, and for brands, including CHANEL, Dolce & Gabbana, GUCCI, Christian Louboutin, and Jimmy Choo. MINK brand took advantage of its facilities and shoe masters to study, research and create its own plant-based leather. MINK partnered with the Material Science University in Milan, Italy in 2020 to invent a new plant-based leather.

Modern Synthesis is a London-based biomaterial start-up creating solutions for the fashion industry. The company’s ‘microbial weaving’ process uses bacteria to grow a cellulose-based composite material.

Since 2015, Mogu has explored the potential of mycelium in various applications, especially in interior design and home goods, through extensive R&D. Mogu strives to use only agricultural and other plant waste as growth medium for mycelium in order to have the lowest environmental impact possible. The company’s material coats mycelium with a 95% bio-based resin for durability, especially for flooring.

Formerly Citrique Belge, Citribel is an independent company located in Belgium with 100 years of history in the production of citric acid through the natural surface fermentation of sugar molasses. Today the company is an industrial producer and innovative specialist in various bioprocesses and has a wide variety of natural products for different applications. In 2022 the company launched MycaNova®, a next-gen leather made from 64% bio-based material, mycelium powder, natural or recycled base materials, and bio-based PU.

Mycel Project is a Hyundai Motor Group spin-off startup that develops mycelium-based materials and technologies, with biomimicry leather being one of its primary products. Mycel Project uses about 430 strains of mushrooms and 13 strains of edible fungi that have been collected from urban, forestry, and industrial food waste. By hybridization, mutagenesis, and gene editing (CRISPR), they modify or develop them to fit the usage of the target industry.

A mycelium-based leather produced from agroindustrial waste using a proprietary and zero-carbon technology.

The founders came together as gourmet mushroom producers in 2012. Inspired by tempeh, a traditional Indonesian dish, they began doing makeshift research using pressure cookers to grow new materials. Using a similar process, they have been growing mycelium on agricultural waste since 2015. In partnership with the Indonesian government research agency and with laboratories in Singapore and Switzerland, Mycotech created mycelium composite panels called BIOBO, their first product. In 2019, they ran a kickstarter campaign to scale up their leather alternative Mylea. In June 2020, they announced their rebranding as MYCL (Mycotech Lab) and their certification as a B Corporation.

Improving opportunities within the circular economy, Mycocycle licenses a process to minimize waste, create new materials and reduce greenhouse gasses using mushrooms. Harnessing the power of nature, Mycocycle mitigates risk for governments, manufacturers, and waste operators by removing harmful toxins from trash—in less time and at equal cost—creating a renewable resource of bio-based materials for the future.

MycoFutures North Atlantic was created after the founders pivoted from developing a gourmet mushroom farm to materials using mycelium. The company adapts mushroom cultivation techniques (solid state fermentation) and vertical farming, combined with novel tanning methods, thus creating an innovative material that takes only weeks to grow without the use of animal products or plastics. The size of the material can be customized to the end use, which reduces the amount of offcut waste, and the substrate and off-cuts are compostable. The company is driven by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Number 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

Artist and inventor Philip Ross began working with mycelium in the 1990s as a medium for sculpture, and in 2013, he co-founded MycoWorks with Sophia Wang. MycoWorks first produced mycelium bricks for buildings and containers. In 2016, they created Reishi™, a pioneering leather-like material grown using Fine Mycelium™, the company’s patented biomaterials platform. In February 2020, MycoWorks presented the first Reishi™ sheets at New York Fashion Week. Reishi™ is said to meet the growing need for sustainable options for leather without compromising performance, quality, or aesthetics.

Mylium was founded in 2018 by Iris Houthoff to create new sustainable materials. In 2019, Mylium received funding to build lab facilities and continue R&D in mycelium-based materials. The company uses agricultural waste as the medium for mycelial growth.

Nanollose is an Australian-based biotechnology company advancing innovative technologies relating to the production, processing, and applications of microbial cellulose. The company produces Nullarbor™ fiber, made from microbial cellulose using an eco-friendly lyocell process. The fiber is stronger than conventional lyocell made from trees and the starting material is made by the natural fermentation of wastes and by-products from the agricultural and food industries which contain carbohydrates.

Based in Italy, Napee was created to develop a sustainable leather alternative to replace synthetic leather and cow leather. The company produces a compostable coated fabric made from 97% biopolymers using natural oils and up to 30% hemp, that can be customized for the buyer. The company filed two patents in 2021.

Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) is a material innovation company giving industries all-natural material platforms to create responsibly. NFW invents and manufactures products from plants. Beginning with inherently circular, natural ingredients, NFW intends to redefine the material ecosystem, making a plastic-free future possible. The company’s material MIRUM® is a new, plant-based complement to leather, that allows tunability in texture, color, pattern, scent, and finish. At the end of its life, MIRUM® can be recycled into new MIRUM® or ground up and returned to the earth.

NEFFA | New Fashion Factory is the first sustainable automated manufacturing method allowing for custom-fit textile products made from biomaterials, starting with MYCOTEX. MYCOTEX is a material that sits in between leather and plastics. Biomass is robotically applied around affordable, configurable and recyclable 3D molds. This patented process gives you unprecedented design freedom to create silhouettes and textures that were never possible before with traditional manufacturing processes, all while guaranteeing a perfect fit.

Newlight is a biotechnology company founded in 2003 with the idea of turning greenhouse gas into high-value materials. After years of research and development, the company’s biomaterial called AirCarbon was announced as a fully integrated commercial-scale production system using air and greenhouse gas in 2019. In 2020, Newlight Technologies launched Covalent™, a fashion brand that utilizes the natural plastic AirCarbon to make its carbon-negative accessories, including glasses, laptop sleeves, and cardholders.

Founded in 2012, the company Next-gen Leather, former Patent Shoes Biotech, has developed a leather alternative called BacLEATHER™ made of biological and recyclable materials. The company’s goal is to produce biodegradable leather for footwear manufacturing, integrating innovations in cell culture and biofabrication to develop a material with the best properties of durability, elasticity, and breathability.

Founded in 2019, Nova Milan was created with the mission to develop the first full supply chain ecosystem to produce petroleum-free plant-based vegan leather at scale. Based in Costa Rica mainly because of its sustainable approaches, including 20M tons of plant waste fiber per year and 99% of renewable energy from clean sources, Nova Milan owns the Innovation Center (NMIC) where brands and companies can explore and innovate with their next-gen plant leather. The company also has offices in Tel Aviv.

NUVI Releaf is a German start-up poised to bring sustainable, vegan, and plastic-free leather alternatives to the world. NUVI’s versatile formula uses upcycled tobacco leaves, marble, chalk, and more – available in various surfaces, scents, and colors.

Ohoskin is an Italy-based startup that produces next-gen bio-based leather made from oranges and cacti waste, combined with PVC/PU. The company is working to get it to 100% biobased.

Oleago is a next-gen company that produces material from the olive industry and other bio-wastes. The founders, with over 70 years of experience and know-how in textile manufacturing, developed an innovative material called Oleatex a next-gen leather made from olive and other plant-based wastes, with minimum use of petrochemicals.

Ono Collaborations specializes in hand-crafted accessories and upholstery made using their cork-based material. The cork is applied to the Tencel backing by hand to give the cork leather its strong but flexible structure. The company’s products are made by skilled artisans and experts to ensure the highest quality and comply with eco-friendly processes and fair working standards.

After conducting a feasibility study at The Polytechnic University of Milan, Adriana Santanocito and Enrica Arena patented the technology and co-founded Orange Fiber in 2014. They presented the first prototypes of fabric from their process that same year. Since its founding, the company has received funding and awards from several European brands, NGOs, and government programs. In 2017, Salvatore Ferragamo presented the first fashion collection made with Orange Fiber fabric. Orange Fiber then partnered with H&M for their Conscious Exclusive collection in 2019.

Patricia Ermecheo founded Novafiber in 2011 with the mission of collecting used clothing to be sold in South America at affordable rates. Further inspired to upcycle waste fabrics, she founded Osom Socks and Osomtex in 2016 to respin waste fabrics from donated clothing, deadstock, or other unwanted materials into recycled yarn. Osom Socks are sold to bring attention to this process, as the company’s goal is to produce threads to be sold in bulk to apparel brands. The company also collects material directly from brands to offer a more closed-loop system for upcycling for home goods, fashion, accessories, and upholstery.

Panama Trimmings is a well-established Italian manufacturer producing labels, hangtags, printed tapes, and similar trimmings. Founded more than 35 years ago, the company is appreciated for its quality combining experience and innovation. The company is constantly implementing sustainable solutions to preserve the environment and awareness of the environmental issues expressed by the tireless research of recycled materials. Now more than ever, sustainability represents Panama’s core value.

Pangaia is a private materials science company that brings textile innovations directly to the consumer. The company aims to solve environmental problems in the fashion industry through the development of sustainable materials, treatments, and dyes in partnerships with researchers in Europe, Japan, Korea, and the United States. FLWRDWN™ is the company’s product of 10 years of research and development. Using Pangaia’s proprietary technology, the material’s biopolymer is created from flowers and infused with a cellulose-based aerogel for increased durability. FLWRDWN is a fully biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and animal-free alternative to duck and goose down.

Based in Valencia, Spain, PersiSKIN was founded in 2020 with the aim of using persimmon waste from regional production to develop next-gen leather that can serve as an alternative to traditional leather and synthetic leather. According to the AITEX Certificate (Textile Industry Research Association of Spain), PersisSKIN is a fabric of more than 85% natural origin, free from harmful chemicals or animal components.

Kanpur Flowercycling Private Limited (PHOOL) makes incense from recycled and processed temple flowers. They also introduced a thermocol (polystyrene) replacement made from flowers and fungus called Florafoam for use as packaging. After, they created a leather-like material called Fleather made from fermented flower petals. In 2019, Fleather won the UN Sustainability Award.

Planet of the Grapes is a purpose-driven business, with a mission to reduce agricultural waste, by valorizing it and transforming it into a new, beautiful, respectable, and fully circular plant leather for the fashion industry. We fusion the worlds of innovation, science, technology, and nature.

Polartec® is a 100-year-old fabric company that has invented modern technical fleece and other products that range from water-wicking base layer and cooling fabrics to warm mid-layers and insulations, to weather and fire-resistant outerwear. The company’s insulation material Power Fill™ is made of 100% recycled material, 0% virgin crude, 0% plucked geese. The fill’s proprietary matrix of hollow fibers is light, compressible, and bonded together to eliminate cold spots, and it doesn’t retain moisture and provides greater warmth retention in colder conditions without added weight or bulk.

Polybion is a Mexican-based company that uses waste as raw material and bacterial cellulose-based to produce next-gen leather thus driving the circular economy and increasing sustainability. The company’s material called Celium® is a vegan and organic next-gen leather composed of bacterial cellulose, that can be customized by color, graining, embossing, and it is water-resistant.

The PrimaLoft company is a world leader in research and development of high-performance insulations and fabrics used in fashion, home furnishings, and outerwear. PrimaLoft® insulation was originally developed for the U.S. army as a water-resistant down alternative and the company has continued to innovate in this space. In 2018, the company introduced PrimaLoft® Bio™ as the first biodegradable, 100% recycled synthetic insulation and fabric.

Provenance Bio is an alternative proteins company founded in 2012 that develops synthetic biology tools to compete with animal proteins. The company count with a team of industry veterans, groundbreaking synthetic biologists, pioneers in cellular construction, and leaders in the programming of proteins, working together to create the future of cultivated meats, leather alternatives, and next-generation therapeutics. Provenance Biofabrics’ patent-pending microbial platform makes functional, full-length collagen for B-to-B applications in pharmaceutical gelatin, bio leather, and cell-based meat scaffolding. This function form of collagen called full-length, type 1, is the ideal building block for producing the new material.

Natalia Pérez founded Proyecto Menos es Más – Estudio de Diseño in 2010 to focus on sustainable design, art, and architecture. After participating in a workshop on using bamboo in 2012, Pérez began a partnership with the Argentinian National Institute of Industrial Technology to develop a bamboo-based material to mitigate the effects of climate change. After 4 years of research and development, she developed a version with the properties she was looking for. Collaboration with Nicolás Cludius on formula refinement and commercialization led to the creation of Bambuflex, a leather alternative with a suede-like texture.

Qorium was founded in 2014 and developed a proof of concept of cultivated leather. The company technology involves collecting a sample of animal cells that are placed in a cultivator with the nutrients necessary for growth and division. Compared to conventional leather, Qorium claims their cultivated leather is made by using 99% less water, and 66% less energy, without the most polluting first two phases of the tanning process and without any methane gas as emitted by livestock.

Renewcell is a Stockholm-based company that turns discarded textiles into 100% biodegradable raw material for the fashion industry. The company’s material, Circulose®, is a ‘dissolving pulp’ from 100% textile waste, including worn-out jeans and production scraps. Renewcell’s technology dissolves used cotton and other cellulose fibers and transforms them into the biodegradable raw material (pulp) that is used by the textile industry to make viscose, lyocell, modal, acetate, and other types of regenerated fibers.

Saltyco® is a materials science company that develops a plant-based alternative for down called BioPuff®. The material is a lightweight cellulose fiber fill that has a cluster structure that traps heat within small air pockets to retain warmth. BioPuff® has been tested and benchmarked against well-known petroleum-based, plant-based, and animal-based fiber fill materials. Its thermal insulation is comparable to 600-fill power goose-down, can save up to 30 geese, reduce petroleum by 70% per jacket, and save up to 25 liters of water. Their manufactured facility called Halolab® is in Scotland, where the raw materials are warehoused and mechanically processed.

Nicolas Bargi launched the Save The Duck brand in 2012 to offer products respectful of animals and the environment. The company created the feather-free filling PLUMTECH® in 2014. Their RECYCLED PLUMTECH®, made from recycled plastic bottles, was launched in 2018. Save the Duck obtained a B Corp certification in 2019.

ScobyTec is a German startup with an interdisciplinary research team from the fields of biology, software development, industrial design, and clothing technology. ScobyTec develops materials from bacterial cellulose as well as their scalable finishing and production processes. The company explores sustainable and vegan materials for the textile and automotive industry to replace animal and/or fossil-based polymers. Their main goal is to bring a material that is sustainable throughout the entire production chain to the market with a comparable cost-benefit factor with the same qualitative characteristics as conventional leather, textiles, and plastics.

Seevix was founded in 2014 after more than a decade of research at the Hebrew University. The goal of the company is to copy the natural production of spider silk to create high-performance products and materials, with an initial focus on materials for the medical industry. In May 2020, Asics Ventures invested in SVX, the spider silk fiber produced by Seevix, for sporting goods. Seevix works with companies in the aerospace, automotive, 3D printing, and cosmetics industries, among others, to create or reinforce materials using SVX.

Focused on sustainability and performance, Sileather developed fabrics made of 100% silicone after many years of research and development with the commitment to providing environmentally friendly, comfortable, and more durable synthetic leather. The company materials can be used in interior and exterior design, public transportation, outdoor furniture, and other applications.

Slow Factory is a school, knowledge partner, and climate innovation lab focused on addressing the intersecting crises of climate justice and social inequity through narrative change and regenerative design. Their material Slowhide™ is a next-gen lab-grown leather from Slow Factory Labs that uses a plastic-free green chemistry process to transform bio-fabricated SCOBY nanocellulose into a biodegradable fabric.

Using production methods created by the Thuringian Institute for Textile and Plastic Research (TITK) in Rudolstadt, Germany, SmartFiber AG combines marine algae and zinc with cellulose to create sustainable textile fibers. In July 2007, Smartfiber AG took over its competitor SeaCell to expand research, production, and marketing potential. SeaCell™ is made from cellulose and seaweed, and the company’s material Smartcel™ is a fiber-based on cellulose that includes zinc.

Using production methods created by the Thuringian Institute for Textile and Plastic Research (TITK) in Rudolstadt, Germany, SmartFiber AG combines marine algae and zinc with cellulose to create sustainable textile fibers. In July 2007, Smartfiber AG took over its competitor SeaCell to expand research, production, and marketing potential. SeaCell™ is made from cellulose and seaweed, and the company’s material Smartcel™ is a fiber-based on cellulose that includes zinc.

Soarce combines seaweed and a plastic-free nanomaterial blend to create fire-resistant, heat-shielding, leathers and fibers that come in a luxurious white color without using any toxins or synthetic materials.

Spiber Inc. is a Japanese biotechnology company developing synthetic spider silk without the use of animals or petroleum resources. The company is currently constructing the world’s largest structural protein fermentation facility in Thailand. With this expansion, Spiber aims to manufacture sustainable protein-based materials at a competitive cost. Commercial production of synthetic spider silk is expected to start in 2021, with a production capacity of several hundred tons per year. Brewed Protein™ is the company’s sustainable material produced via a fermentation process that uses sugars and microbes.

Spidey Tek Inc. was founded in 2015 as a Material Science Company by bio-materials science experts, Roberto Velozzi, and Randy Lewis, PhD., the first to determine the molecular structure of spider silks and one of the pioneers in producing spider silk proteins. Spidey Tek encodes alfalfa plants with the genes that produce spider silk proteins in their leaves. The enhanced alfalfa crops are harvested from fields that regrow for up to 5 years without replanting. Thus, the spider silk proteins are separated and purified into a powder that can be used in many applications.

In 2009, Technical Research Centre of Finland’s (VTT) cellulose expert, Juha Salmela, heard a presentation from a leading spider researcher, who explained the similarities between spider web protein and nanocellulose. Salmela began investigating whether wood fiber could be spun into textile fiber in a similar way. After four years of research, the idea spun off from the laboratory into an industrial pilot, and then into the startup Spinnova, earning Salmela the title of 2018’s European CTO of the Year in the category for small and medium-size companies.

Spora Biotech is a biotechnological startup committed to create solutions to impact climate change, animal abuse, and humanitarian issues around the world. The company develop a mycelium-based leather called Sporatex™.

Tandem Repeat is a synthetic biology and materials science company that eliminates plastic pollution and minimizes the dependence on animal-based products with a unique all-natural performance fabric that is friendly to existing manufacturing processes. Tandem Repeat found a way to mimic the proteins found in squid, and using fermentation, they have developed Squitex: a silken, protein blend fiber with unique stretch, strength, and self-healing properties. It is also sustainable and thermally responsive.

Tenbro Bamboo Company is the first company to manufacture bamboo fiber in China. Tenbro sells bamboo fiber, yarn, and fabric as well as finished products, in particular linens and undergarments. Currently, the Tenbro material is most like cotton with some applications similar to wool. The company mentions silk in their marketing materials but none of the fabrics represented seem to be a real silk replacement. We have included the company in our alternative wool/yarn landscape because of their commitment to alternative materials and potential for future innovations.

The Renewable Materials Center of UC San Diego was developed for teams of biologists, chemists, structural engineers, and industrial designers to engage in transdisciplinary study to build the future of sustainable materials. Their team of experts has developed algae-derived fully biodegradable coatings that can be applied to the SCOBY to produce next-gen leather.

THERMOLITE® is a brand of the family of polyester fibers and insulation of The Lycra Company, a textile company for over 60 years in the market developing new industry technologies. THERMOLITE® EcoMade T-DOWN technology is made from 100% recycled PET bottles spun in a way that creates air pockets between each fiber to keep the wearer warm even when the fabric is wet.

Since its founding in 1972, Thermore has been a leader and innovator in thermal insulation. The company manufactures a range of down alternative fibers for the outerwear market. The Ecodown® product line, made exclusively from post-consumer PET water bottles, was launched in 2018.

The Toray Group’s expertise is in organic synthetic and polymer chemistry as well as in biochemistry. In addition to plastics and chemicals, their core businesses are fibers and textiles. The company’s Ultrasuede® HP alternative leather incorporates plant-based materials into its Ultrasuede line.

Ultrafabrics manufactures leather-free performance fabrics for a variety of applications in the automotive, aviation, health care, hospitality, and home goods industries. Their Ultraleather® Volar Bio fabric incorporates plant-based materials into their Ultraleather line.

Uncaged Innovations is a biomaterials company combining the power of nature and technology to reimagine leather. The company has developed a technology platform of biomimetic substitutes for animal hides and skins and seeks to redefine the use of leather in fashion and consumer goods while mitigating damage to the environment and cruel behavior. The company is developing vegan leather by fusing plant collagen from grain byproducts with natural oils and bio-based elastomers to create fibril networks that mimic animal leather without sacrificing its original characteristics.

Unreal Fur is a Melbourne-based, faux fur label founded in 2011 with the goal of ending the use of real fur in the fashion industry. Unreal Fur products are stocked globally in over 20 countries, 100 cities, and 450 stores. In 2021, Unreal Fur launched an eco-conscious line of faux shearling wool. Select styles are made of recycled fibers and water bottles. The company plans to implement these materials across all future collections.

Vegatex Biotech Limited was incorporated on February 17, 2021, as a private company limited by shares registered in Hong Kong. Before, the biobased content was produced by Paq Group International Limited. Vegatex™, the company’s material, is a sustainable hybrid plant-based biobased leather, made of 66% of fruit waste and lees from the beer brewing process.

Founded in 2016 in Milan, Vegea was created to promote the integration between chemistry and agriculture through the development of new eco-sustainable products. The architect Gianpiero Tessitore and the environmental chemist Francesco Merlino became business partners when they discovered that grape marc (the remains after pressing the grapes into wine) contains fibers and oils ideal for the development of a more sustainable material that resembles the mechanical, aesthetic, and sensory characteristics of a cow’s skin.

Vegeto is a Canadian supplier in the sustainable production and processing of plant textile fibers. The company’s material Milkweed is non-woven thermal insulation made from a blend of milkweed and kapok fibers, and a biopolymer made from cornstarch.

Vegeskin is a France-based company built to recycle fruit waste into material for leather goods and furniture. The company’s material is a next-gen leather made of banana and mangoes waste.

VitroLabs was founded in 2016 by Ingvar Helgason, a professional with a background in the fashion industry, and Dusko Ilic, an experienced stem cell biologist with expertise in tissue engineering. The company uses a similar process as in the creation of cultivated (also known as clean) meat: a sample of animal cells is placed in a cultivator with the nutrients necessary for growth and division. The natural growth process occurs more efficiently in the cultivator and the resulting cells and tissues are identical to their animal-based counterparts.

Volkswagen Group Innovation, belonging to the German motor vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen has partnered with a regional coffee roasting house in Braunschweig to work on next-gen materials for vehicle interiors. The main idea behind developing this “coffee leather” is that conventional leather alternatives are usually made from multi-layered material that consists of a textile back, filling materials, and the actual surface top layer. To increase the organic percentage of leather alternatives in the short term, Volkswagen investigated replacing the filling materials layer with a by-product from coffee roasting. The material samples taken to date have an organic material exceeding 50 percent.

The Volvo Group is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. The brand is moving away from bovine leather with the next generation of Volvo models and has developed an in-house next-gen leather material. The company-new material called Nordico consists of textiles produced from recycled PET bottles, recycled cork, and biomaterials sourced from forests in Sweden and Finland.

Vicki von Holzhausen launched her company in 2015 to create sustainable accessories. Using her experience as an automotive designer, she continues to innovate in the animal-free leather space. The company produces Banbū Leather – a high-performing premium leather alternative made from bamboo, and Technik-Leather™ – a 100% animal-free performance fabric created from recycled fibers and plants.

Vicki von Holzhausen launched her company in 2015 to create sustainable accessories. Using her experience as an automotive designer, she continues to innovate in the animal-free leather space. The company produces Banbū Leather – a high-performing premium leather alternative made from bamboo, and Technik-Leather™ – a 100% animal-free performance fabric created from recycled fibers and plants.

ZVNDER was founded in 2017 by designer Nina Fabert after material studies and research on the processing of tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius). The company material, FUNGISKIN, is cut from a single mushroom body and varies in size, color, and shape accordingly. It cannot be produced in large sheets. Because it is an entirely natural product, FUNGISKIN shows traces of use over time and is sensitive to moisture and dirt. According to the company, FUNGISKIN feels soft due to its high air content, which also gives it insulating properties.