Our fabrics reduce water consumption by 20%
With the purpose of creating an alternative to animal leather, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez, both from Mexico, developed vegan leather made with nopal (a cactus species) and named it Desserto. In a chat with Paulami Chatterjee, the founders discuss the idea that went behind developing Desserto, some of the unique qualities it has, and the plans ahead.
What got you going on the path of sustainability?
Adrian Lopez Velarde: When I used to work for the furniture and automotive industries, and Marte in the fashion industry, we were aware of the environmental impact that these industries were having because of the use of animal and synthetic leather. Both of us were concerned and began to source sustainable alternatives in the market but we found that those were hardly compatible with such applications given the degree of technical and mechanical quality specifications which weren't met. So, we decided to quit our jobs and focus on developing a plant-based material which could meet the high-quality standards of these industries while being highly sustainable.
What do you do with the waste generated during the manufacturing process?
Cazarez: At the farm there are some cactus fibres which are not useful for our industrial processes; those are sold to the food industry. And in the production of Desserto, there is little waste which is highly recyclable either way?mechanically or chemically.
How easy or difficult will it be to replicate this model in other parts of the world?
Lopez Velarde: Given our current knowhow, it can be done. But it is never easy.
How did it occur to you to make leather from cactus plants?
Marte Cazarez: We had to brainstorm on which plant to focus our R&D on and being in Mexico where cactus is not only abundant but also a national symbol which can be seen in our national flag, we decided to focus our efforts around this plant. Down the line, we figured that cactus was the ideal plant to work with because of its low environmental footprint. It does not require water irrigation systems to grow, nor pesticides or herbicides given the natural strength this plant has. Also, the growth rate is very quick and is abundant all over the country which makes it a scalable raw material which is affordable and can be planted and harvested by anyone in most regions around the world regardless of climate change which normally affects agriculture. It is important to remark that we don't kill the plant, we just cut the mature leafs and then process them into our raw material. So, the same cactus plants give us more raw material every 6-8 months. Also, by encouraging cactus plantations we contribute to CO2 reduction given the natural efficiency of the plant to absorb CO2.
What is your business model right now?
Lopez Velarde: Our business model focuses on four main aspects: social, economic, environmental and ethical sustainability. We take care of the rural agricultural sector which collaborates with us, stimulate their economy by adding value into their production chains to create highly sustainable materials to be incorporated into the major relevant industries such as fashion and automotive while taking care of ethical practices all along our value chain.
Is your kind of leather commercially viable?
Cazarez: Yes, we currently supply globally, and we count with chemical, technical and mechanical tests which comply with the mentioned industrial standards.
What is the USP of your leather products?
Lopez Velarde: Desserto fabrics reduce water consumption by approximately 20 per cent, reduce chemical consumption being free of toxic chemicals and heavy metals, reduce energy consumption by using cactus which grows organically and is dried under the sun while also being biodegradable and durable. For these reasons, Desserto is much more sustainable than animal and synthetic leathers. Our operations are fully committed to Reach and adopt the cradle-to-cradle model.
Have you patented this special leather?
Cazarez: Yes, we have patented Desserto (cactus vegan leather) and its production processes.
How many people are employed with you at present? Do they require any special training with respect to the special leather you make?
Lopez Velarde: At this moment, we have directly hired 30 people along our value chain and all of them have been given the proper training aligned with our code of conduct which covers safety, ethical practices and environmental awareness.
How do you arrive at pricing for your products?
Cazarez: Our prices are very similar to animal leather as we work on a fairtrade frame.
Are there special guidelines for consumers who use products made from Desserto?
Lopez Velarde: Yes, we assist our customers on how to use Desserto as this material is highly organic and as our skin requires care. The general principle is to remove dirt with a soft, clean cloth and never to use solvents for cleaning or when manufacturing goods.
How and from where are you sourcing the cactus from? Where are your factories based at?
Cazarez: In Zacatecas, Mexico, we work with organic certified farms under USDA-Organic, Oko Garantie and DAKKS accreditation. Our factories are in Mexico City.
How easy or difficult it is to source the right quantities? Are there any challenges involved in getting the raw materials?
Lopez Velarde: The quantities are not a problem since the major concentration in the world of the cactus species we use are in the Mexico region; however, since we are talking about a plant-based raw material it is critical to work with nature which has its own degree of difficulty.
Cazarez: Transportation of the cactus raw material isn't an easy task given the natural hydroscopic properties of cactus; humidity levels have to be controlled at all times.
Which are your major markets geographically?
Cazarez: Our major markets are Europe and North America.
What has been the response to your products?
Lopez Velarde: Our customers are very satisfied working with Desserto. We have received great feedback in terms of our fabrics being very resistant, soft, fully customisable and highly sustainable.
What is the average time taken right from sourcing the cactus to the finished product? How much of cactus is consumed monthly to produce leather?
Lopez Velarde: About 3-4 weeks. About 10 tonnes.
What is the annual production capacity of your leather products? How do you plan to scale up?
Cazarez: Our current maximum production capacity is 500,000 linear metres per month.
Lopez Velarde: It is a matter of working along the demand. We are confident that we will be able to respond in an efficient way.
What are the breakthrough technologies that your team is now working on?
Cazarez: We are working on enhancing biodegradability and mixing our materials with recycled fibres. This way we are able to solve the waste problem from two approaches-biodegradability avoids accumulation of waste while recycling rescues waste from oceans and landfills giving existing raw material a new life.
What percentage of your profits is ploughed back into R&D?
Lopez Velarde: About 15-20 per cent as we are convinced that innovation is the core of our company.
Desserto is partially biodegradable. What does this statement imply?
Cazarez: We have some versions of Desserto which are 80 per cent biodegradable and others are less. It depends on the type of material we develop for specific applications as the needs aren't always the same. It is important to mention that we only consider to be biodegradable those compositions which will biodegrade within a timeframe of 3-6 years in a landfill. Its special composition, under anaerobic landfilling conditions, actually makes it easier for bacteria to reach and digest the discarded material, thus accelerating the biodegradation process. Desserto is eliminated from the planet in just five years, unlike other fibres which take decades to decompose. The remaining percentage is free of toxicity such as heavy metals and phthalates; so, these can be recycled without harming the environment.
Which consumer trend is going to drive the way you do business in the next 2-3 years?
Cazarez: We are going to keep working on developing new materials with enhanced characteristics around sustainability and performance. We are convinced that sustainability is a responsibility of the whole industry since our environment is currently under heavy stress.
What is the path going forward?
Cazarez: We are working on making our distribution operations more efficient and economical to make Desserto more competitive. We strive to become one of the most important suppliers of plant-based vegan leather in the industry while preserving animal life and the environment. Cactus is green, so is the future.
