The seven benefits of vegan leather made out of cactus
You might have heard the news. It's now possible to make vegan leather out of cactus.
If you're like us, you might ask yourself what on earth could that look like, right?
Here are some pictures of what this beautiful vegan leather looks like:
It's been a while since the two founders from Mexico launched this material last year.
We cannot wait to get our hands on this material. And start stocking brands that use this fabric.
Because of that, we wanted to share seven reasons why we love this material (and the team).
1) It's their mission to reduce environmental impact
By now, you might ask, "who exactly created this material, and why did they do that?"
Glad you asked. Desserto, as the company is called, was founded by two Mexican entrepreneurs.
They used to work in the furniture and fashion industry and became aware of environmental pollution.
Because of that, their goal was to reduce this pollution and to create an alternative.
After two years of Research and Development, the result was vegan leather made of cactus.
They do this by turning nopal cactus leaves into high-quality vegan leather.
2) It's superior to animal-based leather
"That all sounds great. But how does it compare to the real thing" is what many people might ask.
When the Duo presented their new material last year, industry experts praised it.
They loved it for its elasticity, being customisable and breathable, like animal leather.
Thanks to its softness, touch and colour, one expert said it's suitable for the luxury segment.
We don't know about you, but we certainly cannot wait to get our hands on it.
3) This vegan leather is 100% Organic
Many other fantastic vegan fabrics share similar characteristics.
Vegan leather made out of cactus has some other lovely features.
It is organic, all-natural and 100% vegan on top of that.
4) It grows in abundance
We have talked a lot about the inefficiencies that go into the production of animal leather.
Raising livestock creates vast amounts of CO2. It accounts for 14.5 per cent of all anthropologic greenhouse gas emissions.
There is also the element of using chemicals to make animal skin last as long as possible.
With vegan cactus leather, none of this is the case.
And the best part perhaps might be: Mexico has immense amounts of this cactus tree.
Because of that, Desserto can use these natural resources for production.
The alternative would be growing new resources or using other significant existing resources.
Which brings us to the next point.
5) It reduces the amount of water needed
The fashion industry alone requires 79 billion cubic meters every year.
That's enough water to fill 32 million Olympic size swimming pools.
As mentioned before, making vegan Cactus leather doesn't need any extra resources.
That includes water. Desserto will thus help reduce the amount of water consumed by the fashion industry.
6) It reduces plastic waste as well
If more industries use organic, vegan leather (like Desserto's), the environment could benefit.
About 32 to 43 per cent of plastic waste could be reduced, according to the Duo's research.
7) The awards are already coming in
Germany's Green Product Award has indeed nominated them already for an Environmental Award.
We don't know about you, but all those great reasons mentioned above make us believe that they will win this prize for sure.
Needless to say, they have won quite some others already.
How do you like this new material?
What sort of item would you like to see made out of cactus?
A pair of vegan shoes? Vegan leather handbags?
Do let us know in the comments or engage with us on social media.
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