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#2 Designer creates leather substitute from shrimp shells and coffee grounds

In Vietnam, designer Uyen Tran has developed a renewable, leather-like material from food waste amid growing concern for the environmental and human health impacts of tanneries.

Dubbed Tômtex, the material is made from waste shrimp cells and coffee grounds and, like animal leathers, is durable and soft.

“I grew up in the city of Da Nang, where leather textiles were predominantly manufactured,” Tran tells Dezeen. “Leather is used in so many applications across different industries but people around the world are suffering from the pollution that the industry causes.”

To make Tômtex, chitin is extracted from waste shrimp, crab and lobster shells and fish scales and combined with coffee grounds from local shops. Once dried, the material is mixed with natural pigments to create the leather-like material.

“After mixing all the ingredients, the bio-material can be poured into the mold where it is air-dried at room temperature for two days,” Tran says . “The process doesn’t require heat, therefore it saves more energy and reduces carbon footprint.” She adds that the material can be customized to be more like leather, rubber or plastic.
More on the story, here.