n Indian biomaterial start-up company called Phool.co, has created fleather which is an alternative to animal leather made out of discarded temple flowers.

The co-founder Ankit Agarwal stetted that his company has pioneered flower cycling technology. Describing the biodegradable vegan alternative Agarwal stated that the Leather contains collagen which provides its strength and durability whereas fleather comprises chitin which is a kind of protein that gives it the same property. He said that Claagen and chitin are natural analogs that make the leather a perfect substitution for leather.

The IIT Kanpur professor Amitabha Bandyopadhyay stated that fleather would be a game changer and is certain that the fashion industry will use this vegan leather.

Fleather was short for the Best Innovation in Fashion by PETA. The animal charity’s Indian director of celebrity and public relations Sachin Bangera stated that the Kanpur Flowercycling is evidence that leather can be procured without harming animals or the environment. He also stated that the company also provides local women with employment.

Fleather is a versatile textile that can’t be used to produce handbags, shoes, apparel, and any other product. 

Phool is a biomaterial company founded by Ankit Agarwal and Prateek Kumar in July 2017 to offer a sustainable solution in order to upcycle the 8 metric tons of toxic floral waste that is being dumped in the Ganga river.

Since their establishment, the company has converted flower waste into charcoal free incense products, holi colors, vermicompost and also Floral Foam. The company has upcycled 7,600 kgs waste flowers and 97 kgs of toxic chemicals from getting into the river on a daily basis. In addition, the company has also provided 1200 real families with employment.

In a recent investment round led by IAN Fund and San Francisco based Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, the company has raised about $1.4 million, which will go towards research and scaling the operations of the company.