Our collection: Vegan leather

As you may know by now, sustainable and ethical business practices are at the heart of everything we do. Naturally, there are always improvements to be made, but we do our best to organize everything within our company as responsibly as possible. Last January, we were able to add another wonderful milestone to our sustainability goals: we launched our first items made from AppleSkin™ leather!

What is apple leather?
Apple leather is also known as AppleSkin™, an innovative, vegan, and sustainable material. You may have heard of it before, as it is a great alternative to animal leather. But there is so much more to say about this versatile, luxurious, and upcycled material. We now have 3 items made from this material in our collection. View the items here.

How is apple leather made?
Apple leather is made from the cores, peels, and pulp of apples left over after food and juice production. At AdornPay, we do not like waste, so naturally we chose a material made from leftover apples! These remains are first pureed and then spread out into a sheet, after which they are dried.

Once most of the moisture has evaporated, it becomes a fairly flexible, leather-like sheet. It is then combined with polyurethane and coated onto cotton and polyester canvas. This ensures that everything stays together. When this process is complete, you have the result: AppleSkin™ leather!

Is apple leather sustainable?
Apple leather is more sustainable than animal leather and PU leather. Apples that would otherwise be discarded are used to produce apple leather. This means the waste is not burned, reducing emissions. Apples are also not specially harvested for this purpose.

The use of polyurethane (PU) and polyester in the production of apple leather means there are still steps to take in terms of sustainability, but this alternative material is certainly a good start! Apple leather is not yet biodegradable, but fortunately, we are constantly developing, and the future of apple leather looks brighter and even more sustainable.

Currently, a great deal of work is being done to develop enzymes that help break down polyester. Natural fibers with properties similar to those of petroleum-based yarns are also being developed. In the meantime, apple leather can become more sustainable by increasing the percentage of apple in the material.

We continue to closely monitor all developments surrounding the various materials and their level of sustainability, and we always do our best to choose the most sustainable options!