Society develops with new inventions, and each era has its characteristic genius discoveries that hasten culture towards a positive change.  All inventions are born as an idea, and the idea is the starting point of the voyage that can possibly improve the world. 

What is also crucial is the willingness to fight for a good cause, and saving the world we live in is surely a great one. 

We have so harmed our planet, that we immediately need to find new solutions to reverse the damage, or at least stop to causing it.

People are now beginning to understand the damage we have done to our planet, and are increasingly turning to new, more environment-friendly alternatives to everyday items.

A lot of animal rights groups also urge to stop the leather and fur use, and many of these campaigns and projects have been successful.

The invention of two young entrepreneurs from Mexico can contribute to this cause, as they have created an alternative, biodegradable material to replace anything from plastics to building materials and many more in between.

The product can replace animal leather in furniture, fashion, leather goods, and automotive industries.

Desserto was a result of the efforts to create sustainable and cruelty-free variant of animal leather. Created by Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez , it is unique organic leather, made from the nopal cactus.

It is flexible, breathable, and partially biodegradable. Desserto can last for at least 10 years, and meets all the technical specifications the industry demands. 

When asked about the origin of their idea, Desserto’s creators declared that nopals do need any water to grow and there are largely available in the Mexican Republic.

López Velarde added:

“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. Also, thanks to its organic composition, it is breathable, which makes cactus or nopal vegan leather similar to animal leather.”

When asked to describe Desserto, Velarde responded:

 “Desserto is a highly sustainable material, and its environmental footprint is not as big as animal leather. There is no intensive use of water and it is free of phthalates, toxic chemicals, and PVC. Also, its flexibility may result in production savings because it boosts the productivity of the production lines using it, and it is also a material offering touch and softness that is very similar to animal leather.”

He continued:

“The positive impact on the environment that our materials can have if incorporated into major production lines of the different industries mentioned before may result in a 32 to 42 percent reduction in plastic waste, depending on the version of our materials that is incorporated, and about 20 percent savings in water consumption. Currently, the volume used by the fashion industry alone is huge, almost 79 billion cubic meters, which is enough to fill almost 32 million Olympic-size swimming pools.

 If you assess the value for the world economy of the additional 39 billion cubic meters expected to be used annually by 2030, the result is 32 billion euro at stake yearly. This is the potential benefit for the world economy if the fashion industry can find ways to prevent water consumption from increasing further.”

This vegan leather was exhibited at the International Leather Fair Lineapelle in Milan, Italy, and its creators are already investigating its potential application in different industries. 

Other vegan leather materials have appeared as well. Fashion retailer H&M has a vegan jacket from pineapple leather, while Hugo Boss offers sneakers from the same material.

Also, olive leather shoes have been launched by the German footwear brand Thies.

Nowadays, numerous scientists, environmentalists, and even influential celebrities are warning us that it is high time that we did something to stop the damaging activities we keep subjecting the Earth to.

The consequences of these harmful practices have begun to rapidly change the world for the worse.

Therefore, the attempts of companies and individuals to find an effective way to save our environment should be more than welcome by customers and the general public.

Sources:
educateinspirechange.org
vegnews.com
www.news18.com
mysticalraven.com