Clothing/Cosmetics and Animal Abuse Article from All-Creatures.org

You Can Now Buy A Vegan Snakeskin Bag Made With Brewery Waste

From Liam Pritchett, PlantBasedNews.org
August 2024

Across all of its research and development, the company says it emphasizes plants that are beneficial for biodiversity and ingredients sourced from underutilized waste streams. It also avoids plastics, toxic chemicals, and animal products in the pursuit of optimal sustainability.

Arda Biomaterials / BEEN London Arda’s New Grain is highly versatile, making it a sustainable replacement for many animal-derived skins and leathers.

BEEN London just unveiled a vegan snakeskin-style bag made entirely with upcycled grains from local breweries and distilleries.

Read more: The Problem With Leather: Is The Industry Cruel, And Is It Really A Byproduct?

The UK accessories brand collaborated with fellow Londoners Arda Biomaterials and breweries from Bermondsey’s Beer Mile to develop an animal and plastic-free snakeskin. BEEN has used this to create a vegan version of its best-selling “Millais” shoulder bag.

The bag is the first commercial debut of Arda’s “New Grain” leather which the plant-based materials start-up produces using brewers’ spent grain (BSG). New Grain can then be customized with various “finishes, patterns, and colors,” as seen with the vegan snakeskin.

According to Arda, New Grain creates 97 percent fewer CO2e emissions compared to traditional leather, as well as eliminating toxic tanning processes entirely. The company received a grant of GBP £800,000 from Innovate UK to support New Grain’s development.

The new vegan handbag is the first item in a forthcoming collection of BEEN accessories featuring Arda’s New Grain, including wallets, laptop cases, and further bag styles.

Read more: Scientists Grow A Vegan Self-Dyeing Leather Shoe From Bacteria

BEEN London aims to ‘lead the charge’ in sustainable fashion.

According to Arda, every 100 liters of beer produces 20kg of BSG. This waste grain is rich in protein and fiber, making it ripe for upcycling into versatile materials like New Grain, along with recently publicized egg replacers and plant-based proteins.

Across all of its research and development, the company says it emphasizes plants that are beneficial for biodiversity and ingredients sourced from underutilized waste streams. It also avoids plastics, toxic chemicals, and animal products in the pursuit of optimal sustainability.

“Collaborating with Arda has been a fantastic experience,” BEEN London founder Genia Mineeva told Fashion United. “This partnership allows us to pioneer new materials and lead the charge in circular design and sustainable fashion.”

Mineeva’s company is also built upon principles of waste reduction and features a wide variety of sustainable materials like Piñatex, appleskin, regenerated nylon, recycled cotton, and recycled polyester. Even the original leather version of the Millais was made using “tannery offcuts and trimmings” which would otherwise be wasted by the fashion industry.

“As a brand making premium products entirely from materials that would otherwise be discarded, we’re really excited about the possibilities of Arda’s innovation,” added Mineeva. “The New Grain handbag is just the beginning of what we can achieve together.”

---

Posted on All-Creatures.org: August 2024
Return to Clothing/Cosmetics Abuses Articles