Gel-Based Approaches to Vegan Leather: Opportunities and Challenges in Mimicking Leather Properties
Recently, increased global awareness of environmental sustainability and ethical consumerism has amplified the demand for sustainable alternatives to animal-derived leather. Traditional leather manufacturing faces significant ethical and ecological challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions, exc...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Gels |
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| author | Soon Mo Choi Do Hyun Lee Sun Mi Zo Ankur Sood Sung Soo Han |
| author_facet | Soon Mo Choi Do Hyun Lee Sun Mi Zo Ankur Sood Sung Soo Han |
| author_sort | Soon Mo Choi |
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| description | Recently, increased global awareness of environmental sustainability and ethical consumerism has amplified the demand for sustainable alternatives to animal-derived leather. Traditional leather manufacturing faces significant ethical and ecological challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions, excessive water consumption, deforestation, and toxic chemical usage. Vegan leather has emerged as a promising solution, predominantly fabricated from petroleum-based synthetic materials such as polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). However, these materials have sustainability limitations due to their non-biodegradability and associated environmental burdens. To overcome these issues, this review critically explores the feasibility of developing vegan leather using gel-based materials derived from natural and synthetic polymers. These materials offer precise structural controllability, excellent biodegradability, and the potential for significantly improved mechanical performance through hybridization and nanocomposite strategies. Despite their promising attributes, gel-based materials face significant limitations, including insufficient tensile strength, poor abrasion resistance, susceptibility to swelling, limited long-term stability, and challenges in scaling up for industrial production. This paper outlines the structural and physical properties required for viable leather substitutes, reviews opportunities provided by gel-based materials, addresses associated technical challenges, and proposes comprehensive strategies for enhancing mechanical properties and developing sustainable, eco-friendly production processes. Future research directions emphasize hybrid composite development, nanoparticle integration, circular manufacturing processes, and multi-disciplinary collaboration to establish gel-based vegan leather as a viable, sustainable, and market-competitive alternative to conventional animal leather. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3de0198bc63f48e49e8da7dfa7bbf4ac |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2310-2861 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Gels |
| spelling | doaj-art-3de0198bc63f48e49e8da7dfa7bbf4ac2025-06-25T13:53:40ZengMDPI AGGels2310-28612025-05-0111639510.3390/gels11060395Gel-Based Approaches to Vegan Leather: Opportunities and Challenges in Mimicking Leather PropertiesSoon Mo Choi0Do Hyun Lee1Sun Mi Zo2Ankur Sood3Sung Soo Han4Research Institute of Cell Culture, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of KoreaKorea Dyeing & Finishing Technology Institute (DYETEC), 92 Dalseocheon-ro, Seogu, Daegu 41706, Republic of KoreaResearch Institute of Cell Culture, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of KoreaResearch Institute of Cell Culture, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of KoreaResearch Institute of Cell Culture, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of KoreaRecently, increased global awareness of environmental sustainability and ethical consumerism has amplified the demand for sustainable alternatives to animal-derived leather. Traditional leather manufacturing faces significant ethical and ecological challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions, excessive water consumption, deforestation, and toxic chemical usage. Vegan leather has emerged as a promising solution, predominantly fabricated from petroleum-based synthetic materials such as polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). However, these materials have sustainability limitations due to their non-biodegradability and associated environmental burdens. To overcome these issues, this review critically explores the feasibility of developing vegan leather using gel-based materials derived from natural and synthetic polymers. These materials offer precise structural controllability, excellent biodegradability, and the potential for significantly improved mechanical performance through hybridization and nanocomposite strategies. Despite their promising attributes, gel-based materials face significant limitations, including insufficient tensile strength, poor abrasion resistance, susceptibility to swelling, limited long-term stability, and challenges in scaling up for industrial production. This paper outlines the structural and physical properties required for viable leather substitutes, reviews opportunities provided by gel-based materials, addresses associated technical challenges, and proposes comprehensive strategies for enhancing mechanical properties and developing sustainable, eco-friendly production processes. Future research directions emphasize hybrid composite development, nanoparticle integration, circular manufacturing processes, and multi-disciplinary collaboration to establish gel-based vegan leather as a viable, sustainable, and market-competitive alternative to conventional animal leather.https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/11/6/395vegan leatherpolymergelsmaterial |
| spellingShingle | Soon Mo Choi Do Hyun Lee Sun Mi Zo Ankur Sood Sung Soo Han Gel-Based Approaches to Vegan Leather: Opportunities and Challenges in Mimicking Leather Properties Gels vegan leather polymer gels material |
| title | Gel-Based Approaches to Vegan Leather: Opportunities and Challenges in Mimicking Leather Properties |
| title_full | Gel-Based Approaches to Vegan Leather: Opportunities and Challenges in Mimicking Leather Properties |
| title_fullStr | Gel-Based Approaches to Vegan Leather: Opportunities and Challenges in Mimicking Leather Properties |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gel-Based Approaches to Vegan Leather: Opportunities and Challenges in Mimicking Leather Properties |
| title_short | Gel-Based Approaches to Vegan Leather: Opportunities and Challenges in Mimicking Leather Properties |
| title_sort | gel based approaches to vegan leather opportunities and challenges in mimicking leather properties |
| topic | vegan leather polymer gels material |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/11/6/395 |
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