With many people falling in love with leather and animal products, millions of animals are getting killed for their skin and leather. Hence, two guys who are friends decided to save animals and ended up creating organic bio-degradable leather which is made from Cactus.
According to People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 1 Billion animals are killed for the fashion industry each year.
Hence, these 2 friends decided to do something about it and ended up creating this leather.
Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez, from Mexico, said that animal suffering, excessive use of fertilizers in cotton production, and as well as 80% of clothing waste ends up being burnt sparked an interest to create this.
They debuted ‘Desserto’, the first organic leather which is entirely made from nopal cactus. The entrepreneur’s idea was to create a sustainable cruelty-free alternative to animal leather. The material is partially bio-degradable and has flexibility, durability, and breathability for at least 10 years.
Both these 2 friends quit their job to spend on researching about cactus leather. “After two years of research and development, we managed to produce a suitable material that complies with the features and technical/mechanical specifications required by those industries that use animal or synthetic leather,” said Adrian Lopez. He continued “Also, thanks to its organic composition, it is breathable, which makes cactus or nopal vegan leather similar to animal leather.”
Their design has been showcased in major runways such as in Milan and designers are now concentrating on cruelty-free fashion products and are focusing on vegan leather that is made from plants like pineapple and olives.
To make the leather, both these friends source cacti from 27 farmers who harvest the product. They only harvest the plant’s mature leaves which help to preserve the cactus for a new harvest which takes around 6-8 months. Once farmers cut the mature leaves, they are dried in the sun for 3-4 days and then processed.
[ Also Checkout: Top 10 Most Endangered Species on Earth ]
