Traditional leather, typically made from animal hides such as cow and goat, brings ethical issues as well as the deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock farming. Treating animal hide to turn it into leather, known as tanning, often uses hazardous chemicals that can leach into the environment.
Leather alternatives, such as those made from plastic, are vegan in that they don’t use animal hides. However, traditional synthetic leather is made using the polymers polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which, like most other plastics, are made from fossil fuels and are not biodegradable.
In a new review paper, researchers at the University of Vienna, Imperial College London and RMIT University in Australia argue that leather made from fungi has “considerable potential” to be the best leather substitute in terms of sustainability and cost when compared to animal and plastic-derived versions.
The researchers say that producing...