Beyond Leather Materials, a company that produces plant based, eco-friendly alternatives to animal leather, has raised seed investment fund of €1.1 million with Rockstart and Vækstfonden, led by Angel Investor Steen Ulf Jensen via Jensengroup Investment Fund to further advance its production facilities. The company has developed leather based on fruit waste.

Beyond Leather Materials is a Danish startup based in Copenhagen. It is a B2B supplier of a sustainable alternative textile based on apple pulp, the byproduct from juice and cider production. The product is fully biodegradable, animal free and much more sustainable than animal-derived or synthetic leather.

Rockstart aims to help reduce food loss and waste; Beyond Leather Materials fits perfectly into this mission by upcycling food process by-product into high-end sustainable fashion textiles. It offers a unique product with the potential to drive a real change in our society. The combination of a strong team, a novel product and international investors is why Vaekstfonden has invested in Beyond Leather Material says Jesper Hart-Hansen, investment manager.

Beyond Leather Materials is planning to enter the €70B leather supplier market this year and will start to provide its material to the fashion industry. They will open a new production facility in the Copenhagen area and expand their team.