healthy materials & plant-based leather

healthy materials such as plant-based leather are ideal for wellness interiors and better for the planet too

We advise HR departments and project teams on healthy materials for real estate development and workplace interiors. One recent discovery is Deserttex made of cactus plants..

Healthy materials for healthy interiors

A number of innovative products and materials now exist in the marketplace that promise to contribute to a wellness interior, be it in a home, office or hotel bedroom. This is an evolution of a previous shift towards sustainable, natural materials - now we have a human-centric component as well as the material being planet-friendly.

The Covid crisis has only served to bring all of this into the public's attention as there is now a far greater appreciation of hygiene and the concept of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) nowadays, especially with the rise of the Well Building Standard and other healthy building certification systems.

Healthy materials - an alternative to leather in cactus plants

Desserto positions itself as a plant-based alternative to leather, leveraging its positive environmental impact and comparing that with the damage done to the planet both directly and indirectly by the leather tanning industry. So how does the end product, cactus leather, stand up to scrutiny?

Soft to the touch yet durable and hard-wearing, this cruelty-free fabric has no toxic chemicals, phthalates or PVC, it is semi biodegradable and well suited to the fashion, luxury goods and - of most interest for our wellness interior projects - furniture sectors.

wellness interiors and plant-based materials

The primary issue with the leather industry is chromium-tanning, the dominant form of leather tanning that sadly makes use of a nasty mix of chromium salts.

Cactus on the other hand is known for its CO2 sequestering capacity, it absorbs CO2 whilst in the ground and Desserto only harvest mature leaves every 6-8 months, meaning multiple harvests from the same USDA certified organic plants grown in Mexico.

Interestingly, half of their harvest is for food production while the other half is destined to become plant-based leather.

material durability for application in furniture

Where a leather alternative is required, such as when a client has a particular vegan / cruelty-free philosophy for example, many interior designers might reach for the synthetic PU leather sample pack but in doing so they are immediately introducing the risk of off-gases and toxins, whilst also guaranteeing a product that will regrade steadily over time.

The Desserto cactus leather has no formaldehyde or toxins yet remains hard-wearing and durable, low maintenance and easy to clean with a damp cloth. Even in high-use commercial spaces such as a hotel lobby or workplace lounge area, the cactus leather remains suitable for furniture applications whilst boosting a project’s environmental credentials and doing no harm to the planet.

Sustainable luxury material Deserttex

Deserttex is the group’s high-end sustainable luxury furnishing material that has already been applied with success to the automotive industry. Here we see scope for integrating it into luxury workplace interiors as well as green yacht interiors for example. Again, the same fundamental principles apply, the cactus plant requires almost no irrigation and no herbicides or pesticides are used while it is growing in the fields in Mexico

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