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Piñatex is an innovative, natural and sustainable non-woven textile made from pineapple leaf fibres. These fibres are the by-product of the pineapple harvest grown by farmers in the Phillipines and require no extra land, water, fertilizers or pesticides to produce them.
Piñatex is a great vegan alternative to leather and as well as being strong is soft, light, flexible and breathable.
The journey of Piñatex® began while Carmen, a leather goods expert, was consulting on the Philippines leather export industry in the 1990s. Shocked at the environmental impact of mass leather production and chemical tanning she realized this could not continue, but knew that PVC alternatives were not the solution. She was driven to research a sustainable alternative. Inspired by the abundance of natural resources, including the use of plant fibres in traditional weaving such as the delicate Barong Tagalog garments, Carmen sought to create a new, non-woven textile that could be commercially produced, provide positive social and economic impact and maintain a low environmental footprint throughout its life cycle.
