There aren't many sustainable choices that can meet the demands of the fashion industry and customers for vegan alternatives to leather, despite the fact that vegan alternatives are clearly in demand, reported Technology Networks.
Previously, mycelium- or fungus-based vegan leather substitutes were suggested as an affordable and sustainable eco-leather option, but their production difficulties led to their initial rejection.
Recently, work that was published in Research Directions: Biotechnology Design proposes a novel approach to the quick and easily scaleable growth of mycelium "leather mats" for commercial purposes.
In the sustainable fashion industry, leather has been the subject of intense controversy. Some contend that since leather is only a byproduct of the livestock business, it is preferable to use it to make shoes or purses rather than letting it decompose in a landfill. However, the environmental effects of raising cattle are severe, as the appropriate processing and coloring of animal skins throughout the leather-making process necessitates the use of hazardous chemicals.
The most popular vegan leather substitutes are composed of polymers derived from petroleum. This avoids the need for chemical treatments and animal rearing, but it also raises questions about how these leathers can add to the world's plastic waste problem.
"There are significant environmental costs associated with the extensive treatment required to convert hide into traditional leather," stated Dr. Assia Crawford, the primary study author and assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver's College of Architecture and Planning.
Furthermore, because of the difficulties in producing animal leather and the moral issues that surround it, petrochemical alternatives like faux leather have grown in popularity. However, these alternatives have serious environmental consequences due to the extraction of fossil fuels, their lengthy degradation periods, and the possibility of off-gassing. Better solutions must be developed in the delicate environmental world of today.
Materials made of mycelium can help with this. The fungus's root-like structure, called mycelium, grows beneath mushrooms to supply them with nutrients and water. Bio-composites derived from mycelium have demonstrated potential in various domains, including construction, insulation, and packaging.
"There has been growing interest in using living organisms to produce biodegradable material substitutes with low environmental impact, such as mycelium leather, which is an eco-friendly leather alternative," Crawford said. "Our world searches for sustainable alternatives to traditional materials"./BGNES