Summary:
Kanpur: Floral waste has found new purpose, courtesy Phool.co, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur-backed biomaterial startup which has developed ‘fleather’—bio-degradable vegan leather made from discarded temple flowers.
“Fleather is a viable alternative to animal leather,” claimed Ankit Agarwal, the co-founder of Phool.co, who was among the 17 young leaders from across the globe selected by the United Nations for its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiative in 2018.
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Kanpur: Floral waste has found new purpose, courtesy Phool.co, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur-backed biomaterial startup which has developed ‘fleather’—bio-degradable vegan leather made from discarded temple flowers.
“Fleather is a viable alternative to animal leather,” claimed Ankit Agarwal, the co-founder of Phool.co, who was among the 17 young leaders from across the globe selected by the United Nations for its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiative in 2018.
In India, leather is used in several industries, from fashion apparels to saddlery.
India produces 12.9% of the world’s hides, which is greater that 3 billion sq foot per year.
“We convert floral waste into charcoal-free incense products.
But last year, we decided to explore the development of animal-free leather.
Intrigued by the formation of a leather-like white layer on unused piles of flowers, our R&D team discovered the growth of a micro-organism which used flower petals as a nutritional source,” he said.
“Leather contains collagen which provides it strength and durability, whereas fleather has chitin, a kind of protein, that gives it the same properties.