Hugo De Boon & Koen Meerkerk
Co-founders Fruitleather Rotterdam
Mango is a big fruit and has a lot of fibres
Using discarded mangoes that are no longer consumable and usually have gone rotten, the Netherlands-based Fruitleather Rotterdam creates a versatile material which can be made into footwear, fashion accessories, upholstery, furnishing, and more. Fruitleather Co-founders Hugo De Boon and Koen Meerkerk speak to Fibre2Fashion about making vegan leather from fruit, its uses and the company’s expansion plans.
What is vegan leather? How does it differ from synthetic leather?
Vegan leather is technically any leather which doesn’t use any animal derived materials. Synthetic leather is also vegan, but synthetic leathers tend to use oil and therefore are still not environmentally friendly.
Your company is into transforming leftover fruits into durable, leather-like material. How did the idea strike?
The idea started purely by coincidence. During our study at the art academy, we tried to take our pigments from fruits to use for silk screen prints. However, after extracting the pigments, we were left with the fruit pulp which was left to dry in the windowsill in the sun. This was the first original piece of fruitleather.
Why are leftover fruits ideal for making leather-like material?
Leather consists of fibres. Fruit also consists of fibres. So, they have that in common. Plus, fruit gets thrown away on a large scale so there is a lot of resource available to make the material.
Can leather-like material be made from all kinds of fruits? Why/Why not?
We have used many different fruits in the past and it is definitely possible as long as you are able to extract the fibres.
How does vegan leather score in terms of sustainability? Can it be recycled?
It scores high in sustainability because no chemicals are used to make the material compared to traditional leather. Right now, our material cannot be recycled though.
From which countries do you source fruit leftovers? What all products does Fruitleather Rotterdam produce?
We don’t source the fruit ourselves nor do we import fruits for our process. We just pick up the discarded mangoes from a partnering company. These mangoes are no longer consumable and usually have gone rotten. This fruit waste directly enters the Rotterdam harbour. Fruitleather only produces the material, but no actual products.
Who are the customers for Fruitleather products?
This ranges from big car companies and fashion brands to private designers and students. Our audience is very diverse which is good because everyone should have access to sustainable material.
There are projects that make fabric from orange and pineapple pulp too. Is the process used by Fruitleather similar or different? Are they your competitors?
Yes, we are definitely aware of these companies, but their process is indeed very different. We don’t see them as competitors, but more like other good companies that are trying to make the world a little bit more sustainable. There is enough room for numerous companies like ours to co-exist on this planet.
Which is the most used fruit leftover used by Fruitleather? Why so?
We always use mangoes because the Netherlands is the second biggest importer of mangoes in the world. So, a lot of waste is also created during transport once the mangoes reach the Rotterdam harbour. The mango works for us because it’s a big fruit and has a lot of fibres.
What is the growth story of Fruitleather so far?
We went from a small concept which we came up with at the art academy to a well-known company selling material worldwide.
What are the next plans in terms of techniques and expansion?
We hope to start producing larger volumes and be able to soon create material on a roll. However, a lot of developments still need to take place before we are able to do this.
Published on: 08/04/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
