Shoes and bags made from tomatoes! That’s exactly what got The Bio Company (TBC) the Best Innovation in Textile at the PETA Vegan Fashion Awards in 2021.

As bioleather — a type of leather made from plant materials — gains popularity, Pritesh Mistry, the 26-year-old founder of The Bio Company has innovated a way to turn tomato waste into fashionable products.

Using tomatoes as the primary raw material, combined with a process free of polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), TBC, under the brand ‘Bioleather’, offers a completely sustainable alternative to leather with the added benefit of not having to harm any animals.

Why tomatoes?

“India, being the second-largest producer of tomatoes with about 44 million tons produced annually, faces the challenge of 30-35% of it going to waste,” Mistry says, explaining why he chose the fruit.

“This waste, primarily in the form of skin and seeds, provides a sustainable raw material for Bioleather,” he adds.

Additionally, Mistry says that tomatoes are rich in pectin, a natural polymer that enhances flexibility and strength. Their fibrous structure and natural oils help create a leather-like texture while ensuring biodegradability.

“By utilising........

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