Substitutes derived from raw materials also require chemistry
Artificial leather is also part of the trend toward “organic” materials. Scientists are researching many innovative leather substitutes with a biological basis. For example, Evonik is working on a mixed material that not only resembles leather but also can be processed in completely new ways. In 2019, the company therefore invested in the US startup Modern Meadow, which produces collagen with the help of yeast cells. This structural protein is a major component of skin and connective tissue. The startup company, which is based in Nutley, New Jersey, aims to use collagen together with biologically based polymers to produce a material that is similar to leather. Michael Meyer, the expert at the FILK Freiberg Institute in Saxony, calls biomaterials of this kind “trend substitutes.” Today there are artificial leathers based on apple peel, pineapple leaves, mushrooms, cork, and cacti. However, even these biologically based materials can become usable alternatives only with the help of chemical products and coating technology. By now some of them have matured to the point of being very acceptable alternatives. “All the same, they are not purely natural products,” says Meyer, the leather expert.