vlà is sustainable
That’s how supple cacti can be. Our vegan leather is obtained in Mexico from the nopal cactus – a plant that thrives exclusively on rainwater and soil minerals. Artificial irrigation, fertilizers and pesticides are not used at all. Harvesting is also carried out carefully: mature leaves are cut off every six to eight months without damaging the plant.
After drying in the sun, the leaves are processed into powder. In several steps, a high-quality, purely vegetable leather substitute is produced. Nothing is wasted in the process – any by-products are used in the food industry.
- Uses 99% less water than animal leather
- 95% less CO₂ emissions than animal leather
- Does not require fertilizer or pesticides
- Free from toxic chemicals, phthalates and PVC
- Organic color pigments
- PeTA approved vegan
Environmental comparison per square meter of material
Water consumption
– Animal leather: approx. 33,000 liters
– Cactus leather: approx. 20 liters
→ Around 99.9 % less water
CO₂ emissions
– Animal leather: approx. 27.3 kg CO₂
– Cactus leather: approx. 1.4 kg CO₂
→ Around 95% fewer greenhouse gases
vlà is multifaceted
Sustainability can be so aesthetically pleasing: vegan cactus leather is in no way inferior to animal leather, neither in terms of texture nor design options. For our collection, we have created popular bag types in three classic shades: “Beige Sand” and “Black Night” in matt with a leather texture and “Red Wine” with a silky sheen and only a slight texture.
Why cactus?
Because we were looking for a plant-based, sustainable alternative to animal leather – and found what we were looking for in Mexico. The innovative material Desserto®, developed from the nopal cactus, combines aesthetics, responsibility and quality like no other.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Climate-friendly alternatives are needed in all areas of life. The nopal cactus also thrives in places where hardly anything grows – for example in arid and semi-arid regions, where it serves as a water and carbon reservoir. Around 8,100 tons of CO₂ are sequestered annually on 14 hectares of organically managed plantation, while the farm itself only emits around 15 tons.
Only mature leaves are harvested for the production of the vegan cactus leather – every 6 to 8 months, without damaging the plant. The cacti grow in the mineral-rich Zacatecas region of Mexico and require hardly any water: only 200 liters per kilo of biomass, which comes directly from the humidity in the air. By comparison, other plants need around 1,000 liters of water.
Cactus leather also scores highly in terms of processing: around 10 times less energy, 20 times less CO₂, 1,600 times less water and significantly fewer emissions are required for 1 m² than for conventional leather.
The Desserto® material used by vlà consists of 65% renewable raw materials.
