Vegetable leather is a must. Currently, the demand for animal skins is high and between 2008 and 2017 the European Union imported more than 10 million skins or leather products such as bags and belts, according to figures compiled by Pro Wildlife.

One of the most consumed products by the automotive industry is leather.

Thus, it is essential to look for alternatives to animal skins with vegetable leather.

There are cheaper and equally aesthetic options such as pineapple vegetable skin or pineapple vegetable leather.

Vegetable leather made from pineapple

This product that has similar properties and characteristics to animal skins.

It also contributes to the conservation of the environment while taking care of the cost.

In the future, it could be considered to create a network between fruit traders and vegetable skins producers, thus also contributing to being a socially responsible project.

Many plants and fruits are recognized for their resistance, either to weather conditions or for the composition of their fibers.

For some years now, brands such as Ananas Anam, have refused the idea of ​​making garments with animal skins and have opted for other circular economy alternatives.

The use of a textile is sought that can be made from the union of the fibers without having to be sewn, with a finish identical to that of animal leather.

Phases of the process

Make a prototype of vegetable skin based on pineapple stem leaves for various

applications takes a process, which is detailed below:

Obtaining raw material

First of all, the raw material must be obtained.

To obtain pineapple leaves, it is necessary to have a supplier of this waste raw material, for this, negotiations are carried out with markets that allow obtaining these waste.

Leafless

Secondly, we proceed with the leaf removal and degumming.

As part of the process, the leaf stalk must be removed from the pineapple leaves, which is removed from the top of it.

For this process it is necessary to carve the pineapple leaf with a metal spoon, along with this with a sandpaper of 3000 water, the cellulose protections of the leaf must be broken until reaching the fibers (thin filaments similar to a thread light brown).

After doing this, the vegetable fiber threads are thoroughly washed until the chlorophyll is completely removed from these leaves.

Dehydration

Then dehydration is carried out, which consists of using vacuum bags with which the dehumidification will be carried out in an oven, a process which will be carried out at 160 degrees Celsius, checking it every 15 minutes so that it does not harden and split.

Tissue

Next, the fibers are woven. In this stage, the pineapple fibers are interlaced one by one to obtain excellent quality.

After obtaining the cellulose from the pineapple, an industrial comber will be used to separate fiber by fiber.

In this process, a little oil will be placed as a humectant, in order not to tangle and thus obtain the pineapple thread with which the fabric will be created.

Laboratory tests

Finally, in order to check the resistance, durability, coloration and ergonomics, tests are carried out in laboratories, in which chemicals and colorants such as glycerin, coconut oil and starch are added to achieve the desired properties.