Image: Samara
Toronto based fashion company Samara has created faux leather bags from wasted apple peels instead of plastic.
Although vegan leather is made without animal skin, it does often utilize plastic and can therefore be damaging to the environment.
However, cruelty free brand Samara is making strides in developing products that use more plant-based materials instead of plastic.
Speaking to TreeHugger, co-founder Salima Visram said: “Our goal is to ensure that our products are made out of the finest quality materials and that they are sustainable
“Our promise is to create our products from the least amount of materials possible, without harming any living thing in the process.”
The company recently launched its ‘Mini’ purse made out of wasted apple peels from the juicing industry.
The brand’s official statement reads: “As the vegan leather industry is growing, we decided that it was time to raise the bar and start experimenting with other plant-based materials.
“We’ve been hard at work over the last year, aiming to create our best seller—the Mini—out of apple-based leather.
“After many iterations and quality checks, it’s finally here. Made from apple skins that are by-products of the juicing industry, and some PU that acts as a binding agent, we’ve designed our newest addition to the Mini Collection: our Apple Leather Mini.”
The designers admitted that although their creation still has a bit of plastic in the form of polyurethane (PU) used as a binding agent, the binder is less toxic compared to the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is commonly used in the textile industry.
The Mini purse available in red, blush, and black is up for grabs for $50 on the Samara website.
The brand is also committed to sponsor solar powered backpacks for children living in East Africa who have no access to electricity, donating a portion of proceeds from product sales.
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