Cactus leather creators release material life cycle assessment

The creators of cactus leather, Desserto, have recently released an early stage life cycle assessment (LCA) which follows the ISO 14040 and 14044 LCA guidelines.

This is exciting, because it means we can begin to understand how Desserto’s cactus leather compares environmentally to conventional cow skin and synthetic leather materials in a life cycle assessment.

See more information about the life cycle assessment on Desserto’s website, or keep on reading to see them laid out, below.

Desserto, the creator of cactus leather, released an early stage life cycle assessment (LCA) which follows the ISO 14040 and 14044 LCA guidelines.

It found that Desserto cactus leather saves 1,864.02% of carbon equivalent greenhouse gas emissions compared to animal leather, and 77.69% compared to polyurethane (PU) synthetic leather.

It showed that Desserto cactus leather saves 164,650% of water compared to animal leather, and 190% compared to polyurethane (PU) synthetic leather.

Why? Because the cacti requires little water, and is rain-fed.

It also found that in only 14 acres of organic cactus plantation, Desserto can absorb 8,100 tons of CO2 per year, until soil carbon equilibrium is reached, while the farm only generates 15.30 tons of CO2 annually. This means now, the farm is carbon negative.

In summary

Desserto’s cactus leather is free from non-human animal objectification and slaughter. It is far better for the planet than both animal skin leather and conventional synthetics. It is also made in an ethical, transparent supply chain.

For all these reasons, Collective Fashion Justice considers it a total ethics material, one that the fashion industry should transition to using in future designs.