Ecco collaborates on Ecovative to commercialise mycelium leather

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 11, 2022

Danish footwear specialist Ecco said on Friday that its Ecco Leather operation has linked up with Ecovative, a major mycelium technology company. They have an ongoing partnership to develop and commercialise the next generation of mycelium materials for a range of new products.

It said it’s a first of-its-kind partnership between a traditional leather tannery and a mycelium technology company. It leverages Ecovative's strengths as a global leader in developing sustainable materials with the fibrous root structure of mushrooms and Ecco's expertise in leather for consumer products. 

Earlier this year, they began trading materials and methods to test mycelium materials against commercial standards. That collab is now “being expanded and extended to bring new products to market”. 

Ecovative will supply Ecco with the “custom-tuned mycelium materials developed”, which the latter will transform into “novel materials for both its own brand and to supply its material partner network”.

The company said the deal “opens the door to collaboration on the full scope of material development and commercialisation possibilities. From research through testing and prototyping to products on store shelves, both companies will apply their unique expertise and production technologies”.

Ecovative Chief Commercial Officer Gavin McIntyre said such partnerships represent the “best and fastest way to advance new materials with biology. By combining our expertise and capacity to grow mycelium at scale, and Ecco’s extensive understanding of what's needed for the best leather products in the world, we will help bring the industry closer to true sustainability and circularity”.

And Bart Hofman-Kronborg, Group Manufacturing Director at ECCO, added that the link-up will “is expected to bring innovative mycelium materials to global scale, addressing a growing consumer demand for products that are environmentally positive.

“Mycelium represents a brand new canvas on which we can create with both traditional and novel material processes. It removes the volatilities of the raw hide supply chain, while its fast and efficient growth allows us to bring a new material category to market, one that gives consumers an environmentally conscious choice over petrochemical-derived materials.”