At Ohoskin, we made our bio-based alternative to leather from oranges and cacti even more sustainable without giving up on its trademark quality and durability.
We enhanced our vegan material’s composition with a new-generation material made with recycled and organic materials that reduce emissions by 90%. Thanks to this new formulation, Ohoskin is now bio-based and non-fossil.
Why did we choose PVC?
Since its prototypes, we chose to mix our bio-based polymer from industrial byproducts of oranges and cacti with PVC. However, we’ve always been aware this could have raised more than an eyebrow. Many self-called environmentally conscious brands consider PVC a dealbreaker.
It is not without reasons. For example, regular PVC may contain elements that could be toxic to human health, and it has a critical carbon footprint because of its fossil origins. However, it has some upsides from the sustainability point of view that make it a better choice than the more-cherished PU, that micronizes and degrades fast for a low-quality and non-durable material.
We already explained our choice to use PVC as one of the components. PVC enhances our vegan leather alternative durability and thus its life-cycle. And also, we started from the beginning to use a phthalates-free one that does comply with REACH and PROP65 regulations and is devoid of toxic components.
However, we have always been aware of its environmental issues. Therefore, we never stopped looking for more ecological solutions.
In our constant search, we stumbled upon a new generation material with all the PVC’s durability features that is much more sustainable because made out of recycled plastics and regenerated organic. That choice enabled us to cut our material’s carbon footprint by 90%.
Becoming more circular
Recycled plastics allow us to tackle many problems.
Our material was already coming from a circular production chain that does not compete with the food chain. Thanks to this PVC from recycled plastics, our process is even more responsible.
In fact, like our patented polymer from vegetal byproducts from the agricultural and cosmetic industries, this new component comes from residues of the forestry industry and recycled plastic components.
Also, the entire process is certified by the Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and boasts a fully transparent end-to-end supply chain.
In this way, Ohoskin becomes even more circular than ever.
How is it more sustainable?
In addition to being circular, it reduces carbon emissions by 90%. It has been made possible by of the feedstock that makes up this circular PVC.
As already mentioned, it comprises organic components from the forestry industry from paper production. This raises our bio-based composition to 32%, as proved by our C14 analysis (want to know more about it? Ask us for our technical sheet)
The remaining 68%, instead, is now made from non-fossil elements.
What does non-fossil mean?
Recycled plastic plays the most crucial role in carbon footprint reduction.
A fossil element contributes to CO2 emissions when the oil required to make them is extracted.
By employing a recycled component, the brands using Ohoskin prevent further emissions from the extraction needed to make a new fossil-based ingredient.
So, recycled and organic plastic replaces the fossil component of regular PVC with non-fossil, renewable components without giving up on its durability and quality. It means it uses organic ingredients and recycled fossils instead of new ones that would impact the global carbon budget.
How does the new non-fossil formulation influence Ohoskin’s features?
Initially, we chose PVC because it made our vegan leather alternative from oranges and cacti more durable and suitable for luxury applications.
And that’s how we’re keeping it. Our new PVC is as durable as the regular one. At the same time, it improves Ohoskin’s sustainability, making it even more circular and non-fossil.
How recycled and organic plastics make Ohoskin more sustainable, in a nutshell
- It raises Ohoskin’s bio-based percentage to 32% because it is made from residues from the forestry industry.
- It makes Ohoskin 68% non-fossil because of its recycled ingredients
- It makes it even more circular
- It retains its durability and extended life cycle.
