Plant-based or not, you’ll be hard pushed to have avoided the ‘vegan leather’ hype in the last few years. But, often made from PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) plastic, they have their own issues.

While leather comes from cows, which obviously isn’t vegan-friendly, it also biodegrades, but on the flipside ‘vegan leather’ is non-biodegradable and is carbon-intensive to make.

Deciding that there must be a better way, we look at the best sustainable, vegan leather alternatives — from pineapples and mushrooms to leaves and plastic bottles. (Yes, really.)

 

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A post shared by Piñatex® by Ananas Anam (@pinatex) on Apr 26, 2018 at 6:40am PDT

Pinatex

Made from: Pineapple leaf fibre
Upsides: Natural, sustainable, non-woven, made from waste, durable, comfortable, non-toxic, cruelty-free, watertight
Like leather: 3/5
Brands using it: Bourgeois Boheme, Hugo Boss, Piñana Bags, Nae, Mary’s Pineapple

 

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A post shared by Amadou Mushroom Leather (@amadouleather) on Mar 20, 2017 at 3:33am PDT

MuSkin

Made from: Mycelium in mushrooms
Upsides: Renewable, biodegradable, vegan, non-toxic, breathable, antibacterial
Like leather: 5/5
Brands using it: Amadou Leather

 

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A post shared by Malai (@about.malai) on Dec 28, 2017 at 5:06am PST

Malai

Made from: Bacterial cellulose from coconut water
Upsides: Durable, vegan, sustainable, biodegradable, waterproof
Like leather: 5/5
Brands using it: Made from Malai

 

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A post shared by Thamon London (@thamonlondon) on Jan 27, 2018 at 6:56am PST

Leaf Leather

Made from: Leaves
Upsides: Cruelty-free, non-toxic, sustainable, biodegradable
Like leather: 2/5
Brands using it: Thamon London, Elpis Studio

 

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A post shared by VIVOBAREFOOT (@vivobarefoot) on Jun 11, 2018 at 10:06am PDT

Eco Suede

Made from: Recycled plastic bottles
Upsides: Durable, sustainable, lightweight, made from waste, cruelty-free
Like leather: 5/5
Brands using it: VIVOBAREFOOT, Fjallraven

 

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A post shared by Eve Cork (@eve.cork) on May 10, 2018 at 6:59am PDT

Cork

Made from: Cork oak trees
Upside: Waterproof, renewable, recyclable, organic
Like leather: 4/5
Brands using it: Eve, Chanel, Louboutin

 

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A post shared by UASHMAMA Australia (@uashmama_au) on Jul 3, 2018 at 6:00pm PDT

Paper

Made from: Trees (…shocker)
Upside: Sustainable, biodegradable, organic
Like leather: 3/5
Brands using it: UASHMAMA, Bottega Veneta, Paper Handbags by Ilvy Jacobs, Engage Green

 

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A post shared by Laura Zabo (@laura_zabo) on Aug 1, 2018 at 9:33am PDT

Recycled Rubber

Made from: Waste, like old tires
Upsides: Durable, sustainable, waterproof, made from waste
Like leather: 3/5
Brands using it: Paguro Upcycle, Laura Zabo

 

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A post shared by nuuwaï (@nuuwai) on Jul 25, 2018 at 12:37am PDT

Apple

Made from: Apple peel
Upsides: Cruelty-free, sustainable, made from waste
Like leather: 3/5
Brands using it: Nuuwai, Happy Genie, Veggani, VEERAH