The CSIR-CLRI (Council for Scientific & Industrial Research- Central Leather Research Institute) in Chennai has introduced its newest plant-based alternative for conventional leather- Mango leather. The new material is made from discarded mango pulp and biopolymer, making it fully biodegradable.
Mango pulp was chosen by the team at CLRI after testing a variety of agricultural by-products like rice straw, sugarcane straw, orange peels, wheat straw and banana peels. The process of making the mango leather involves mixing 50 per cent of mango pulp with biopolymers in both liquid and powder forms. The mixture is then processed to make sheets of material that can be used for leather production.
Images used for representational purposes only.
The material, which utilises a lot less water than that used in the production of conventional leather, also biodegrades quicker than polyurethane leather. “The technology of producing the material from mango pulp can be mechanized and we can make a good quantity of the mango-based sheets in three days, whereas the same quantity of original leather would require more than two weeks to make,” said the CLRI chief scientist Dr Thanikaivelan Chief Scientist in an interview to WION.
The material has been used to make accessories like bags and laptop cases, sturdy enough to last at least five years. Further refinement processes are being undergone to make the material more suitable for footwear products.
The even better part? This new material is a more eco-friendly solution to put discarded mangoes to better use. India, being the largest mango grower globally, sees around 40 per cent of mangoes going to waste due to quality issues. These waste mangoes, however, can be easily used in the production of Mango leather.
Indian start-up Aamati Green is all set to use this mango leather to produce vegan leather goods. The firm has also constructed a 30,000 square meters capacity plant for production.
Find out more about sustainable leather alternatives here