Mission Short

Crustico’s mission is to transform food and plant waste — more specifically discarded bread and flower waste — into a biodegradable biobased leather which offers an alternative to animal and synthetic leathers.

The Challenge

Leather production contributes largely to deforestation, water waste, greenhouse gas emissions and animal exploitation and while alternative cruelty-free leathers might sound like a good option, they rely heavily on plastics that are non-biodegradable. At the same time, there’s a lot of bread and bakery waste that is discarded daily which represents one of the largest categories of food waste globally.

The solution

Crustico’s proposes the conversion of discarded bread, starch, glycerol and extracted plant cellulose into a biodegradable bio-leather which is plastic-free, cruelty-free and also compostable. This offers a sustainable alternative for industries that are relying on materials that harm the environment. Our approach not only reduces waste streams but demonstrates a circular economy model where food waste can become a valuable product.