While researching leather replacement options for school, I came across an article about leather made from cactus. Call me intrigued! I’m hoping once they further develop this I can grab a sample to do a comparison of my own agains some of the other “leather” options on the market.

From what I gather, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez are, at the moment, working from their plantation (I have problems with the word plantation, but won’t get into that here) in the Mexican state of the Zacatecas. Together, they have created a synthetic leather made of sustainably harvested organic nopal cactus leaves. The thick-skinned cactus is a native plant and is able to grow without an irrigation system, relying only on rainwater and the natural minerals of the land in which it is grown. In order to be as sustainable as possible only the mature leaves of the plant are removed, allowing for a new harvest every six months, with one plant living up to eight years. Once the leaves are harvested they are cleaned, mashed, and dried in the sun for three days, at which point they may be naturally dyed. Any remaining parts of the cactus are sold into the local food industry or exported as a food source. 

They first considered creating a replacement “leather” while working in the furniture, automotive and fashion industries. They’ve put in two years of research and development to settle on the final material, which has an estimated lifespan of more than 10 years with regular use. 

I’m looking forward to seeing where this might go!
Here is a link to original article that got me thinking!