NATIONAL REPORT—If you knew the history of the leather that you buy, would you still buy it? While there are degrees of severity, depending on the supplier, the leather that you specify for furniture, headboards or other items often has a dirty past—from the breeding of the animal (most likely a cow) to the processing of the leather from that animal. Factors to consider when buying leather range from its geographical source—China, the largest leather producing country, or maybe Brazil, where cattle ranching for beef and leather production is the main cause of deforestation in the Amazon—to its biodegradability.
There are plenty of sources available to learn the story of leather. As you read more, you may be inspired to explore less environmentally intensive alternatives to animal hides. Or you may not be swayed from leather at all, given that there are companies selling “greener” versions of the product—with tanneries powered by solar energy, for example.
“There are a lot of environmental hazards that go along with leather,” says Jennifer Hendren, Vice President of Product Development at Ultrafabrics.
To avoid the dilemmas that arise with leather, one can choose from the many leather alternatives available to the hospitality industry today. The ingredients for such leather alternatives range from pineapple leaves to cork to banana plants to mushrooms to polyurethane.
Example of Technical Performance Fabrics
One company using polyurethane in its product lineup is Ultrafabrics.
“We are committed to making our polyurethane materials as good for the planet and people as possible,” said Danielle Boecker-Primack, President, and Clay Rosenberg, CEO, in the introduction to Ultrafabrics’ 2024 Sustainability Report.
Ultrafabrics is committed to sourcing recycled and renewable materials for the backings of its product portfolio—what it calls technical performance fabrics. In fact, by the beginning of 2024, 100 percent of the Ultrafabrics branded portfolio contained at least 50 percent recycled and/or renewable materials. This is one year ahead of its target. Backings are made of 65 percent REPREVE recycled polyester and 35 percent ECOVERO viscose, as well as 100 percent TENCEL Modal.
In addition to hospitality, Ultrafabrics products can be found in the transportation (automobile, aviation and RV/Marine) and healthcare sectors.
The company’s CEO, Clay Rosenberg and President, Danielle Boecker saw the tremendous potential for alternatives to leather across a variety of markets years ago when they worked together and partnered to create Ultrafabrics. The company celebrated its 25th year anniversary in 2024 as a leader in this category.
“They saw the potential in furniture, RVs, and more,” Hendren says. “The product is tested to so many market-specific standards. The product feels very soft. Some of the styles are breathable. It is a technically innovative material. In each of the layers we can build the attributes that we want.”
Free from Many Harmful Toxins
Ultrafabrics’ polyurethane coated fabrics are free from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), plasticizer phthalates, and formaldehyde, which are often found in other alternatives like vinyl, posing environmental risks and health hazards. Through the company’s proprietary Takumi manufacturing technology, which takes its name from the Japanese word for artisan, Ultrafabrics combines the principles of craftsmanship, state-of-the-art technology, and sustainably focused innovation to create polyurethane coated fabrics designed for comfort and durability.
In 2019, Ultrafabrics introduced its first biobased collection—Volar Bio. In 2023, the company transitioned its Volar Bio collection to new biobased resin with full supply chain transparency. Volar Bio reflects Ultrafabrics’ sustainable vision with a 66 percent mix of recycled, rapidly renewable, and biobased content. The collection’s evolution includes certified REPREVE recycled polyester, ECOVERO viscose and Susterra biobased resin.
Volar Bio showcases the company’s commitment to high-performance materials that are both eco-conscious and innovatively designed. Biobased products are derived from raw materials such as plants and other renewable agricultural, marine, and forestry materials. Biobased products generally provide an alternative to conventional petroleum derived products and are considered more sustainable because they can be replenished relatively quickly and have a lower environmental impact. Volar Bio is certified by the USDA BioPreferred program to contain 29 percent biobased inputs.
In 2023, Ultrafabrics began to source a biobased resin for the Volar Bio collection, Susterra, to support measurable impact in its supply chain. All raw material feedstock used to make Susterra is covered under the Truterra program, which is working to bolster sustainability on 1.5 million acres of U.S.-grown corn. Through the program, U.S. Midwest corn farmers can more effectively target and measure the impact of their efforts to protect the environment, including customized support to help drive measurable improvements in GHG emissions reduction and soil health.
New Options for Biobased Inputs
Expanding on its work with Volar Bio, the Ultrafabrics product team has been researching several options for new, locally sourced biobased inputs. This process involves adding a biobased component (like scallop or egg shells) and analyzing the effect on performance, haptics, and visual continuity. While not ready for commercial application, this experimentation is a testament to the progressive ideation and data gathering that is shaping the next generation of Ultrafabrics’ biobased development.
Ultrafabrics products are about 1/2 to 2/3 the weight of genuine leather or PVC. The lighter weight of the products reduces environmental loads for carbon intensive transportation and use. In 2023, Ultrafabrics moved its U.S.-based warehouse from New York to California to further reduce transportation-related impact.
Cattle leather production uses a significant amount of water. It takes about 17,128 liters of water to produce one leather tote bag. Ultrafabrics, however, has been able to reduce water use by 20 percent from a 2020 baseline as percentage of yards produced.
From a waste standpoint, Ultrafabrics maintains a 3 percent or less waste intensity—meaning that 3 percent or less of the yardage it produces each year goes to an external industrial waste company to be landfilled or incinerated for fuel.
“Our product is efficient, Hendren says. “Our cutting efficiencies are excellent.”
Almost All Solvents Recovered, Recycled
Ultrafabrics is able to use recycled-content back cloth without any increased costs. The company’s mill in Japan is ISO 14001 certified, 100 percent of raw materials are locally sourced, and 98 percent of solvents are recovered and recycled during the manufacturing process.
“There is a lot of waste with leather,” Hendren says. “Also, animals on factory farms produce an enormous amount of excrement. That pollution can infiltrate our waterways.”
Ultrafabrics is determined to continuously improve. “Product development testing is our largest budget item,” Hendren says.
Continued developments include further bio exploration as well as more sustainable and possibly solvent free styles.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
