Fruitleather Rotterdam is transforming leftover fruits, in particular mangoes, into a durable leather-like material on a journey to fight our global fruit food waste.
We live in a world where resources are becoming more scarce every day.
Each year worldwide, we throw away 1.3 billion tonnes of food.
This is approximately one-third of all food production.
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45% of all fruit produced for consumption gets thrown away.
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30% of the earth’s agricultural land is used to produce food that will eventually be thrown away.
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40% of the food harvested is left in the fields because it does not meet the cosmetic standards for supermarkets.
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10% of all greenhouse gasses emitted in developed countries are used to produce food that will never be eaten!
Food waste often occurs when the consumer buys too much or because retailers reject the food due to its “unfavourable” appearance.
What if we did not see fruit waste as a residue, but instead as a valuable starting material?
Fruitleather Rotterdam
Over the years, Fruitleather Rotterdam has been experimenting with how to convert wasted fruit into a leather-like material. By doing so, they can bring an eco-friendly and animal-friendly product to the market. Here at Eclectic Trends, we couldn’t be more excited to share more about this innovative material with you!
100% Natural Resources
In the production of the raw material, they use natural additives in order to preserve the Fruitleather sheets. The backing material is also derived from 100% natural sources. Fruitleather Rotterdam currently provides the material with a GOTS-certified organic cotton backing.
Waterproof
The leather-like material is waterproof thanks to the application of a waterproof repellent on the surface of the Fruitleather sheets. This makes the material more water resistant however it’s not recommended for the material to be wet for a long period of time.
Fruitleather Rotterdam has already collaborated with footwear, fashion and furnishing brands using their versatile material, which as you can see, can be converted into an array of products and possibilities; we invite you to take a glance at the results in the pictures below.
What do you think about this beautifully executed and innovative material? Find out more on the other sustainable materials we’ve been exploring in our ever-growing material library here.
Photos: Fruitleather Rotterdam
Photos: Bowen Liu Studio
Photo: Luxtra, Fruitleather Rotterdam
