Biodegradable artificial leather from SCOBY and algae

La Jolla, California

A team of chemists, material scientists, and biologists from the Center for Renewable Materials at UC San Diego, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary designer from LA, believe that SCOBY leather will soon be making its way to jackets, car seats, sofas, purses, wallets etc. SCOBY leather is a very promising biodegradable, vegan material made from bacterial cellulose that shares similar mechanical properties and appearance of leather, but has until now failed to meet industry specifications because of its high sensitivity to water. The team introduced innovative fully biodegradable coatings which are derived from algae, instead of petroleum, and can make SCOBY leather waterproof and suitable for real life applications. Unlike standard artificial leather, which is non-recyclable and harmful to the environment through the release of microplastics, toxic chemicals and numerous carcinogenic byproducts, this new vegan leather from SCOBY and algae will naturally decay at the end of its product-life, converting into nutrients for plants and microorganisms.