Synthetic or faux leather is cruelty-free and ethical at its core. Synthetic leather behaves better in terms of sustainability than the leather of animal origin, but it is still made of plastic and it is still harmful.
There are three types of synthetic or faux leather:
PU leather (polyurethane),
PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
bio-based.
The market size value of synthetic leather was 30 billion USD in 2020 and it is expected to reach 40 billion by 2027. PU accounted for a share of over 55% in 2019. Its promising growth is due to the product quality: it is waterproof, softer than PVC, and lighter than real leather. It can be dry-cleaned and it also remains unaffected from sunlight. PU is a better alternative than PVC because it does not emit dioxins while bio-based is the most sustainable of all.
Bio-based leather is made of polyester polyol and has 70% to 75% renewable content. It has a softer surface and better scratch resistance properties than PU and PVC. We can expect a significant growth of Bio-based leather products in the forecast period.
Many companies around the globe focus on new product development that contains less plastic and more plants.
Bio-based leather is made from a mix of polyurethane and plants (organic crops) and it is carbon neutral. Have you heard of cactus or pineapple leather? It is organic and partially bio-degradable, and it looks amazing too! Some producers are trying to avoid the plastic and use viscose made from eucalyptus bark. It only gets better. Other companies develop lab-grown collagen or leather made from mushroom roots. These roots grow on most organic wastes and the process converts waste into leather-like products. Another company tells us that future is made of plants, not plastics, and promises to create revolutionary products.
Let’s help the bio based leather market boom!
Post time: Feb-10-2022