Meeting the demand for leather using agricultural waste.

Producing large enough quantities of sustainable, plant-based leather to meet industry demand

The Opportunity

The fashion industry is making great strides to become more sustainable. One of the key areas of interest is removing animals from the supply chain. So-called ‘vegan’ leathers have jumped in to meet this demand, but those products are primarily made from plastics and polluting resins. Flaura, cuir végétal has developed one of the world’s only truly plant-based leathers.

The Challenge

Flaura, cuir végétal has developed a new alternative to leather made from biproducts from Quebec’s apple industry. The apple-based leathers retain the look and feel of animal leathers, but are 100% plant-based, creating a sustainable and animal-friendly product. The plant-based leathers are strengthened with bioresins, so are free from animal products as well as petrochemicals and plastics. With the difficult work of the test products complete, and interest from industry high, Flaura needed to scale up enough material to let industry try the product in their manufacturing facilities.

NPC’s Solution

NPC worked with the founders of Flaura as they developed and refined the product, and saw they were on track to meet this industry need. Through the Proof of Concept Program, Flaura is now developing larger samples for industry to ensure the product meets their specifications for manufacturing.