For this March 2020's Spotlight, we will focus on Desserto, the new sustainable vegan leather made out of cactus invented by two Mexican businessmen.
The story behind this product starts with two men whose jobs used to revolve around leather. Adrián Lopez Velarde worked in the car industry that uses leather for car interiors while Marte Cázarez worked in the fashion industry. These jobs made them realise how this material had a harmful impact on animals and the environment. This is why they co-founded Adrian Di Marti, a company set up to focus on creating a new eco-friendly vegan leather.
The root of the problem
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about leather is the ethical issue of the treatment and killing of the animals needed for their skin. However the issue also concerns the impact of the industry on the environment.
The whole process, from raising the animals all the way to the shipping of the final product is extremely pollutant and unsafe both for humans and our ecosystem. Cows are the animal most often used to create leather, and they are alone producing a vast amount of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. Information released by PETA shows just how far the issue of the leather industry goes: water waste and pollution, deforestation for pasture land, harmful chemicals used in tanning causing pollution and diseases... The list goes on.
Unfortunately, even most of the vegan leathers on the market are harmful to the environment as they are primarily made out of plastic-based materials like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU).
A succulent idea
After two years of hard work, Lopez Velarde and Cázarez came up with Desserto. The leather is made from cactus which is the most abundant plant in Mexico. They chose a variety named Nopal from its numerous advantages. It saves a huge amount of water by relying solely on rain water (unlike the irrigation system needed for other plants) and the abundance of nutrients present in the soil of the Zacatecas state where the plants are growing. This plant easily survives the cold temperatures of winter and harvest, since only the mature leaves are used, allowing the cactus to grow back within 6 to 8 months. This makes the cactus a renewable source of material. The Nopal cactus has very small thorns making it safe for harvesters to handle. And the best part probably is that, unlike cows which create greenhouse gases, cacti are using photosynthesis to absorb carbon dioxide.
Their patterned process for transforming the plant into leather has been engineered to be the least pollutant and energy consuming as possible. The company does not use any sort of pesticide or herbicide in its plantations. After being cut, the plant is cleaned, mashed and then left in the sun to dry for 3 days, which avoids the use of energy needed for an industrial oven. It is then mixed with non toxic chemicals and shaped into any texture or colour needed. This process creates a leather material that is durable, breathable, flexible, partly biodegradable, and about the same price as regular leather. Also, the remaining organic cactus material is used by the national food industry.
“ Our hope is not only to help the environment but also help to create jobs.” - quote from Adrián Lopez Velarde
Lopez Velarde and Cázarez have showcased their leather in festivals in Milan and Australia in 2019. The company does not plan on creating their own product but instead is focusing to make their eco-friendly material accessible and popular with a greater number of companies and industries.
Article by: Lena Fix Editor in chief at The ComPost
Photo by:
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