June 5 - The National Institute of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, or CSIR-NIIST, under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of India, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Alter Wave Eco-Innovations, also known as AWEI. This MoU focuses on the transfer of technology for manufacturing vegan leather in India.
The goal of this partnership is to capitalize on the abundant agricultural biomass resources in the Indian state of Kerala to develop sustainable biomaterials that can be used as an alternative to animal leather. The technology to make vegan leather has been developed by the CSIR-Nest team led by Dr. Anjanejulu Kotakota. Using plant-based materials such as pineapple leaves, banana stems and rice straw, they have succeeded in creating a high-performance leather-like material with biodegradable properties.
Through this partnership, AWEI will have the ability to utilize the rich agricultural biomass resources of Kerala. It is important to know that there are around 20,000 hectares of pineapple farms in Kerala, which generate around 720,000 metric tons of farm waste every year. This seemingly useless biomass, with some processing and conversion, can be upgraded into a sustainable leather material, which undoubtedly offers a highly advantageous and profitable alternative to traditional leather production.
AWEI has the ambitious goal of revolutionizing the fashion and automotive industries with its plant-based materials. The company's approach involves sourcing biomass from farmers and agricultural communities and then upgrading it through a range of technologies into non-toxic and durable materials that can be used in a variety of applications.
In addition, this technology transfer agreement between CSIR-Nist and AWEI is expected to have a significant environmental impact. It will significantly reduce the dependence on animal hides and thus contribute to the sustainability of the industry. This cooperation is not only economically significant, but also ecologically and socially significant, opening up new paths and possibilities for the future.
