Pineapple leather, also known as Piñatex, is an innovative solution that’s meant to replace real leather as fabric for producing many different things. Piñatex® is a patented name for pineapple leather invented by the company Ananas Anam. Piñatex has a unique texture that’s similar to animal skin leather and can be used instead of it. Its main advantages include needing fewer resources and being more eco-friendly than real leather.
Piñatex is a natural material that’s made from pineapple leaf fiber. The leaves are a natural byproduct of growing pineapple and typically get thrown away, and now they can be used for making products like shoes, jackets, bags, wallets, etc. Basically, anything that can be made with leather can also be made with Piñatex.
“The use of pineapple leaf fiber, an agricultural waste product, provides the opportunity to build a scalable commercial industry for developing farming communities, with minimal environmental impact,” the company’s website reads.
The founder of Ananas Anam and the inventor of Piñatex is Dr. Carmen Hijosa, an ethical entrepreneur who has a vision for a more sustainable future that connects people, the environment, and the economy. She’s striving to make a natural and sustainable leather alternative which lead her to develop Ananas Anam and now this innovative product.
