Fruitleather

Fruitleather collects leftover fruits from the markets and converts them into a leather type material, which is environment and animal friendly. This material can be used to create footwear and fashion accessories, and also used by the interior and furnishings industry. They aim to create a zero-waste economy.

Every year, around 1.3 billion tonnes of food gets wasted, all over the world. And this food is grown on 30% of our planet’s agricultural lands. 40% of the harvest is left behind in fields by farmers, as they don’t meet the cosmetic requirements of markets. In developed nations, 10% of the greenhouse gas emission comes from foods that aren’t consumed. To make leather, more than a billion animals are killed annually, and the cleaning of their hides produces about 650 million kilos of CO2.

As a solution to these problems, Fruitleather has developed a unique process, wherein they collect, crush and cook fruit waste to prevent bacterial growth and stop putrefaction. They then dehydrate this mixture and treat it till they get 100% ecological leather that can be used to craft shoes, handbags and other fashion accessories. The material can also be dyed and customized as required, if more than 20 sheets are purchased. Fruitleather has partnered with designers and brands and can supply 50-70 square metres of this vegan leather per month.

Currently, the sheets made by Fruitleather are 40 x 60 cm. These are manufactured at their Rotterdam work facility. A natural wax coating can be applied on their leather for repelling water. Fruitleather is using only mangoes to make the leather at present.  

Fruitleather is currently selling its materials through its web shop. They deal directly with client brands and are not looking for official distributors at present. The fashion and interior industry along with brands and designers are their potential customers.