The Search for Sustainable & Vegan Leather Alternatives: Grape Leather

Welcome back to The Carbon Closet’s series of vegan-leather articles. For the past few weeks, we have been exploring all kinds of innovative alternatives to animal leather, so that you can remain simultaneously stylish and guilt free! If you read last week’s article and guessed correctly, you’ll know that this week, we delve into Grape Leather! Join us as we investigate the creation, pros and cons of this fabric from vine to clothing line!

Fear not wine-lovers! This process uses waste matter from wine-making: the pulp, seeds and skins, so no substance is taken away from your boozy beverage. These materials are dehydrated and processed, before being mixed with oils and polyurethane, and spread onto a backing sheet for increased durability and stability. This method, as we have discovered throughout our vegan-leather journey, is standard for most alternative leather processes. Vegea is the world’s leading manufacturer for grape leather and have already supplied brands with this fantastic fabric, such as H&M’s conscious collection and even Bentley for electric car interiors!

Aside from having no impact over wine production, there are numerous other advantages to this fruity fabric.

This process keeps plant-based material out of landfill. Although plant material biodegrades quickly and does not pose a huge issue in landfill, it further increases ecological efficiency.

Grape leather is versatile, smooth and durable. All properties that match up to real leather, without the cruelty factor! In fact, the properties of grape leather can be altered, depending on what backing material is used- something real leather can’t do! It is also more water-resilient than animal leather and easy to clean and care for.

In addition to the reduced waste and cruelty-free process, grape leather includes no heavy metals, toxin solvents and re-uses water from production. Its greenhouse gas emissions are 90-95% less than that of animal leathers! This makes its overall environmental impact significantly more eco-friendly.

Very few materials and production processes in the world have no disadvantages, and Grape Leather is no exception. However, as we have previously stated, these drawbacks are not to discourage the use of these fabrics. They encourage you to think deeper about the items you consume. Could you be the one so solve these fabric flaws?

The backing fabrics are arguably the most uncertain area for this material. If organic cotton is used, the fabric remains eco-friendly and possible even biodegradable. However, if the composition of the backing material is from a non-natural source, this compromises its ability to biodegrade and could introduce other toxins and chemicals to the fabric, which can be absorbed into the skin.

“In wine, there is truth”. Rather than claim that this leather is 100% the way to go, we have to consider all the elements that make up your grape-based garments. Before the backing fabric is even considered, polyurethane is mixed into the grape waste to form a bio-compound. It is not impossible that a different substance could be found to produce the same properties, but until then, this fabric remains non-biodegardable.

Grape leather lacks the natural oils that animal leather possesses in order to keep it moisturized and in tact. This means grape leather is prone to cracking and damage over time. Its lifespan is not expected to be equivalent to animal-based leathers.

From wines to wardrobes, Grape-Leather has proved to be a very versatile and creative solution for the climate crisis. We are optimistic that in a few years time, further knowledge and experience will allow vegan-leathers to become even more ecological and replace animal leathers in popularity. The Carbon Closet is paving the way in supplying earth-lovers with sustainable alternatives- even Grape-Leather products! Visit our site or sign up to our newsletter for more information.

Can you guess next week’s vegan-leather source?
Hint: This Mediterranean grown plant is the main ingredient in a popular cooking oil!