What are alternative materials?
Consumers and brands are increasingly looking for alternative materials to be used in their products. This can mean utilising existing waste streams in the manufacturing process as a raw material for a new product, considering the circularity of materials and the end of life use or disposal of products, or minimising the negative or harmful impacts in material production.
Leather alternative materials for Footwear and Apparel: We can help you.
We are technical material specialists with a focus on the footwear and apparel sectors. We offer a range of services around leather alternatives and material innovation that can be tailored to your business needs. If your company is looking for support in understanding or sourcing alternative materials or if you are a product developer looking to bring a new materials to the market, we can support you.
Alternative Materials Services
New Materials Information
Eurofins | BLC can provide new materials information to help your business identify new materials on the market or new and innovative ways of utilising leather waste. We can also provide impartial advice on performance characteristics of leather alternative materials and how these compare to traditional leather made from animal hides and skins.
Benchmarking and Performance Testing
If your business is looking to bring a new and innovative material to the market in the footwear, apparel or accessories sectors we can support you through benchmarking and performance testing of your product against existing products on the market. We can also help you to develop your product to ensure it can compete with established market players through extensive product testing against industry specifications.
Product Testing Against Industry Specification
If your organisation is looking to understand what the recycled leather market looks like and how waste streams in the leather manufacturing process can be repurposed, then Eurofins | BLC can provide support and guidance on a commercial basis. If you want to source environmentally preferred sustainable leather please visit the Leather Working Group. Your organisation can access Eurofins extensive knowledge of the leather sector, and position in the industry to connect you to those who are innovating in this space, producing high performance material with a circular leather story behind it.
Disintegration and Biodegradability Testing
Understanding how and if a material can disintegrate and biodegrade at the end of its useful life is a key element in determining how sustainable a material is. If product can biodegrade following a predetermined time, then the materials used in that product’s production can be considered to be reused. At Eurofins, we can provide disintegration and biodegradability testing to determine the extent and speed that a material disintegrates and biodegrades. Knowledge of the biodegradability potential of a material is a crucial sustainability consideration and can form part of market differentiation for those looking to sell products with a sustainable materials story.
Need Information on New Materials?
For more information on how Eurofins | BLC Sustainability Consultancy team can support your business in the footwear and apparel sectors, please contact our Team today via: info@leathersustainability.com, telephone +44 (0)1604 679 999 or complete the web form at the bottom of this page.
