The fashion and the trend for the leather bags and various accessories have been increased tremendously but we tend to forget how they are made and that they aren’t good for our environment too.
But, two entrepreneurs from Mexico tasked themselves with ending brutality in the way leather is sourced and have come with a groundbreaking version of leather – one that is made from cactus leaves.
According to the PETA, the global leather industry kills more than a billion animals for their skin and hides. Now, it looks like the animal cruelty is going to end and the animals would not get killed just for their skins.
However, what’s even more worrying is the impact leather has on the environment. The treatment process introduces it with a ton of chemicals and artificial dyes to transform animal skin into leather. This not only is harmful to the environment but also makes the leather item non-biodegradable.
A lot of people switched to faux leather thinking that it isn’t derived from killing an animal but is actually made of polyurethane (PU) which is also harmful for the environment.
However, two entrepreneurs — Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez, have found something that truly hits at the right spot. The pair opted for cactus due to its sustainability. “The idea of using this raw material was conceived because this plant does not need any water to grow, and there is plenty of it throughout the Mexican Republic,” López Velarde explained. “Also, symbolically, it represents all of us Mexicans and everybody knows it.”
Though a lot of vegan leather varieties are available across the globe, what makes this leather so special is that since it’s made from cactus and it uses minimal water.
Being sold by Adriano Di Marti, the company has and named their vegan cruelty-free leather variant – Desserto and they claim that it can last upto 10 years.
Reference:
Two men have finally created leather from cactus and this will save approximately 1 billion animals from being killed – Times of India. (2020, February 26). Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/fashion/buzz/two-men-have-finally-created-leather-from-cactus-and-this-will-save-approximately-1-billion-animals-from-being-killed/articleshow/74320006.cms
Webber, J. (2019, November 26). Two Mexican Entrepreneurs Just Created Leather Out of Cactus Leaves. Retrieved from https://www.livekindly.co/mexican-entrepreneurs-leather-cactus/
