A Leather Alternative Made From Pineapple Waste – Pinatex

September 13, 2022
2 mins read



Pinatex is a natural, innovative and patented material, made from pineapple leaf fibres gathered by partner farms and farming cooperatives. Pinatex fibres are the by-product of the pineapple harvest. That means it is a best out of waste initiative & no extra raw materials, water, or energy is required to produce the material i.e. no extra carbon footprint. Indeed a staunch example of a circular enterprise.



Pinatex was developed by founder Dr. Carmen Hijosa, after completing her PhD in Textiles at Royal College of Art. Pinatex, a plant-based textile solution, is  breaking barriers in the fashion industry as well as its applications in various other products too. With the support from Royal College Of Art, Carmen turned her idea of a plant-based textile into a  business and so Ananas Anam was formed.

Pinatex is also featured as one of the UK’s most innovative brands in the series of Love Letters from Britain,  as part of the Great Campaign.




Pinatex, Why Not?

The leaf waste is often burned following the pineapple harvest, adding a heavy carbon footprint into the atmosphere. By valorising this leaf waste into Pinatex,  the CO2 that would have been emitted by burning the leaves is prevented, equating to the equivalent of 12kg CO2 saved per linear metre of Pinatex.

Pinatex Is upto 95% Plantbased: Pinatex is upto 95% bio-based, with upto 95% material used to create the Pinatex Original and Mineral collection coming from renewable resources.

As a plant-based product Pinatex is 100% vegan and cruelty free. Pinatex is certified by PETA and the Vegan society. Pinatex is made from agricultural waste, using the waste leaves of the pineapple plant. Thus, Pinatex is resource efficient.




Pinatex, Ananas Anam & Other Partnerships

Ananas Anam is a certified part of the B-Corp community leading the global movement for an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy.  At Ananas Anam, the company behind Pinatex, aims to reduce the environmental impact generated by the textile and leather industry, which has a high social impact on rural farming communities. Their instinctive and heartfelt desire is to protect and nurture, thereby building a better future for people and the planet. Ananas Anam partnership with this family owned pineapple plantation Eco Fresh Agro in Bangladesh. Their vision was to repurpose all pineapple leaf waste at the plantation and have no waste by 2024. Ananas Anam offer their sustainable material to many designers, manufacturers and companies to be incorporated in their products.


Current partnerships brings socio- economic development in the rural areas of Bangladesh by creating jobs and diversifying income streams. It has so far created 130 jobs for the farm and community, supplying an additional revenue stream for the pineapple farmers. The farm is led by female CEO Samia Farhana and 80% of those employed are women. Their aim was to connect on a deep level with the people they work with and to build ecosystems that are bound together,  which can symbiotically grow together in order to bring about positive changes to the world. These partnerships are all about creating a wider positive social impact among farming communities and to continuously reduce our environmental footprint by valorising waste at scale. 



Pinatex, A Replacement To Leather


With the leather industry and its various environmental pressures, Pinatex is a breath of fresh air. Today leather is used in many products, right from your wallets, diaries to seats, shoes, bags, purses, and many more. Leather has found it’s place in so many products and Pinatex can be an ethical alternative



Leather derivatives are applied in a lengthy list of products. Pinatex can be the answer to the environmental woes of the traditional leather industry, which not only sucks up billions of liters of water but also pollutes the water bodies due to its processing and tanning techniques. More over animal cruelty is subtracted from the manufacturing process & and leap towards circular economy can be envisioned.


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