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With tannery pollution and food waste both posing huge environmental challenges, a young innovator has turned tomatoes into a solution.
Pritesh Mistry, founder of The Bio Company, has developed Bioleather — a plant-based, biodegradable alternative to animal leather, made from tomato processing waste sourced from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The product, which won PETA’s Best Innovation in Textile Award, is used in footwear, jackets, bags and even automotive applications.
“Bioleather proves that waste can become fashion,” Mistry says, crediting his early visits to Kanpur’s polluting tanneries as the inspiration. Global brands like Satuhati have begun adopting the material, signalling its potential to shift both fashion and sustainability narratives.
