Handbag Brand Replaces Leather with Pineapple Leaves to Go Vegan

British brand The Original Satchel Store recently became an all vegan company by replacing leather with Piñatex—a pineapple fiber-based vegan leather.  The company operated for eight years using “ethical” British leather but after several team members encountered the inherent cruelty in the leather industry, The Original Satchel Store began looking for vegan alternatives. “From the pristine beauty of the Amazon rainforest, to animal waste destroying streams, rivers and lakes in Ireland to the massive environmental damage caused by leather production in India and China—we cannot carry on like this,” the company announced on its website. The brand explained that its new material is durable, environmentally friendly, and helps to support poor pineapple farmers in the Philippines. “We want you to look good without feeling bad and we want to make good stuff that doesn’t hurt the planet or its creatures,” the company stated. Developed by Spanish designer Carmen Hijosa in 2016, Piñatex has become a popular vegan alternative used by an array of companies, including fashion brand Hugo Boss, footwear brand Scoots, and hospitality chain Hilton Hotels—which used the material in lieu of animal leather when outfitting its first all-vegan suite in London.