H&M Unveils Vegan Leather Made From Wine Waste

Swedish fashion giant H&M is launching an eco-friendly collection with items made from a new vegan leather substitute.

The vegan leather will be featured in the Conscious Collection on several handbags and shoes. 

The alternative is made from the byproducts of the wine industry.

The bio-material was developed by Italian tech company Vegea, which uses grape pomace to create the innovative leather substitute. 

H&M will also be using a new dye in the collection made from the coffee grounds collected in its offices in China.

“Going forward, we need to be using more bio-based materials and use more waste in our collections,” Pascal Brun, H&M’s Sustainability Manager, told Vogue.

“It isn’t just about materials, though, it’s about how we can design clothes to last longer and to be eventually recycled, and how can we involve our customers to have more sustainable behaviour. It’s a holistic approach.”

The collection will go on sale at H&M stores around the world on 26 March.