The Vegan Leather Lifesavers, Part 1 of 2

One of the fastest growing alternatives to animal leather comes from the humble mushroom. These mats can be grown to various thicknesses, and with a few simple finishing steps and a dyeing process, a biodegradable material with leather-like characteristics is developed and ready for making products such as shoes, clothes, bags and anything else one can imagine. Mr. Adi Reza Nugroho, the co-founder of Mycotech Lab (MYCL), one of the mushroom leather manufacturers in Indonesia, shares with us why we should choose this compassionate material. “Mushroom is a super ingredient to become a sustainable future leather, because it grows mycelium, a vegetative part of the fungus that can mimic perfectly like leather without any PU or PVC or any chemical content-based material.”

MycoWorks, is another fine mycelium mushroom leather manufacturer that makes its vegan leather called Reishi, from the actual mushroom, using the Ganoderma Lucidum strain, traditionally a medicinal mushroom in Asia.

Their company Desserto is planet-friendly from every perspective, with cactus being an excellent carbon sink. Their 14 acres of organic cactus absorbs 8,100 tons of CO2 annually, compared to other crops which on average absorb 15.3 tons per year. The finished product is a resilient vegan leather texture with colors of silky whites to vibrant tones, covering the full spectrum of color options. The applications span into apparel, car upholstery, furniture, and endless accessories. Desserto has already been awarded a number of distinguished awards in only one year, including the “Green Product Award” in 2020, the “Good Design Award Gold Winner” and the “Innovation Award” from the French luxury conglomerate “LVMH,” and a number of acknowledgements from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Organic, Global Recycled Standard and more.