Behold the Cactus Leather

Leather has always faced a tough situation in fashion market – specially it has faced a lot of criticism in the last decade. As animal cruelty is something everyone wants to stop, the alternatives to real leather is hard to find – but its search stops now.

Behold the Cactus Leather !

Cactus leather is a bio-based material lauded for its breathability, an area in which other vegan leathers fall short. This unique material is used for handbags, shoes, apparel, and furniture. Even car companies are jumping on the bandwagon; Mercedes-Benz applied leather alternatives, including cactus, to the interior of a concept electric car in January 2022.

Cactus leather is made from the nopal cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) also known as the prickly pear or Indian fig optunia. The cactus is harvested twice a year by cutting off only mature pads (cactus leaves) so that the cactus isn't harmed and can continue to grow.

The pads are then cleaned, smashed into smaller pieces, and left out in the sun to dry for at least three days. The drying process, which is dependent on humidity levels, can take up to five days. Fibers are separated from the dried mulch. Then, a powdered protein is extracted, taken to a laboratory, and mixed with varying formulas that include dyes to form a liquid bio-resin.

The resin is then poured on top of a carrier material to form cactus leather. The type of material used is dependent on the future application of the textile, but recycled cotton, polyester, or blends of both are what is typically used.

 

Currently, Desserto is the only manufacturer of cactus leather. The farming practices are certified organic and use only rainfall to water the crops mitigating the use of excess water. The process is energy efficient, using the sun to dry the cactus mulch versus other mechanical methods.

The company uses a bio-polymer, which is partially made from organic renewable compounds. (Desserto bears the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Biobased Product label.) The dyes used to color the fabric are also organic. There is a byproduct, but Desserto makes sure the waste from the process is used. Most of it is used for animal feed, but it can be used in many other ways.

"It's directed to the food industry, but at an increase in value. So the farmers benefit from that," co-founder Adriano Velarde told Treehugger. "They even export it and they do dietary supplements... You can even brew beer with it."

As long as progress moves toward using more eco-friendly carrier materials, the impact cactus leather has on the environment will be low compared to conventional leather and PVC-based alternatives.

Credit : treehugger.com