| Project Name: | The Development of a Biobased Cruelty-Free Leather Alternative from Kiwifruit Waste |
|---|---|
| BPA Number: | 24317 |
| Funding Round: | 2025 |
| Report(s): | |
| For enquiries contact: | Angelique Greene or Kelly Wade |
| Phone: | |
| Email: | Angelique.greene@scionresearch.com, Kelly.wade@scionresearch.com |
Summary of Project and Key Findings:
This BPA project, undertaken in collaboration with KiwiLeather Innovations Ltd., focused on developing a novel biobased textile from kiwifruit waste to meet the growing demand for more sustainable vegan leather alternatives. Many products marketed as “vegan leather” rely on fossil-derived polymers such as polyurethane or PVC, raising concerns around environmental impact, end-of-life disposal, and alignment with consumer sustainability expectations. This work addressed these challenges by adopting a circular approach, transforming New Zealand kiwifruit orchard waste into a higher-value textile with a reduced environmental footprint. The key outcome of the project was the development of an improved materials formulation. This formulation demonstrated that kiwifruit biomass can be combined with other biobased components to produce a flexible, water-resistant material suitable for high-value applications such as apparel and accessories, including purses and wallets. Additional outcomes included scale-up to kilogram-scale production, identification of key processing conditions, validation through prototype development, and a technoeconomic analysis to assess the commercial feasibility and cost competitiveness of the process. Together, these advances progressed the technology from TRL 2 to TRL 4.
TRL at start of project = 2
TRL at end of project = 4
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