A company in India is producing an eco-friendly vegan alternative to synthetic leather by using mango fruits. One of the reasons for using this particular fruit is that India produces 20 million tons of mango a year, making it the world's largest producer of mango. This means it has a huge amount of raw material as in India up to 40% of mangoes are abandoned in the fields because they do not meet regulatory and market standards, so they can be used to produce this alternative material to leather.
The technology was developed by CSIR-CLRI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Central Leather Research Institute) in Chennai. The new material is made of 50% mango and degrades faster than polyurethane leather.
Mango leather also offers other advantages over animal products in terms of ease of production, lower carbon footprint, and ethical alternatives.
“We'll collaborate with fashion houses and brands to create eco-friendly handbags and wallets. Manufacturing it costs approximately 60% less than what it currently costs to make synthetic leather. By employing circular solutions, our company plans to act on the problem of mango waste, incentivize farmers, and make vegan leather sustainably,” stated Pratik Dadhania, the founder of Aamati Green Private Limited.
Source: sudoesteba.com
