Apart from causing unnecessary harm to animals, leather production is also one of the main causes of logging and loss of biodiversity, especially in the Brazilian Amazon. Thus killing a huge carbon sink and ally against climate change.

In 2009, Frumat started reaching agreements with companies in the area of Trentino in Italy, where a huge number of apples are harvested every year, recovering the cores and the peel left behind by the pressing process, to make a special paper named Cartamela (Applepaper). Ivory in colour, recyclable and non-gloss, Cartamela is used to make packaging, envelopes, diaries and tissues. Another innovative Frumat product is AppleSkin, a sustainable and crueltyfree imitation leather that contains 50% of apple waste. While initially this material was used in the external cover of diaries, now AppleSkin is also being used in fashion and sportswear.

Farmers tend to leave up to 40% of their harvest in the fields, because it does not meet the cosmetic standards for the supermarkets. Collecting and recycling this waste and discarded fruits means less waste from the foodindustry. To make its products, Frumat recovers approximately 30 tons of apple waste a month from local companies which are therefore relieved of the cost of disposal and even receive payment for the waste materials.

THE PROCESS

After making apple juice, the pulp is usually thrown away. To make the leather, the apple waste, from apples cultivated in Italy, is dried and ground into powder. This powder turns into a flexible, leathery sheet that is then combined with Polyurethane to create the vegan leather, which is PETA-approved vegan. The material contains a minimum of 50% apple fibre and is created in Bolzano, Italy.

The tanning of the vegan leather is a lot cleaner and not as polluting, as the one used in conventional leather production so the toxins used in the tanning process is reduced. 

The leather is vegan which means that it is 100% cruelty free. 

Frumat Apple Skin is currently being used in the fashion and furnishing industry due to the product’s ability to be worked into different textures. The softer fibre is ideal for textiles with a direct application in the clothing and apparel industry. The sturdier, thicker version PU leather alternative, made of 50% recycled apple fibre and 50% polyurethane (hence the name PU), is currently being used for shoes and luggage articles as well as furnishing and upholstery. Womsh, a Veneto region footwear manufacturer, has actually opted to use AppleSkin for 6 new sneaker models, while OneMore, a brand engaged in the production of skiing garments, uses AppleSkin for its down jackets and trousers. Other brands such as Happy Genie, Verrah, and Luxtra London have also opened their eyes towards the innovative material and is using it in their products. 

Mabel SRL, located in Florence Italy is the company that physically manufactures the AppleSkin material. The process is patented by Frumat.