In this section
@article{Zhao:2026:10.1016/j.clema.2026.100407,
author = {Zhao, A and J眉stel, JPM and Jones, MP and Weiland, K and Bismarck, A},
doi = {10.1016/j.clema.2026.100407},
journal = {Cleaner Materials},
title = {Circular and scalable leather alternatives from fungal fruiting bodies},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clema.2026.100407},
volume = {21},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Fungal leather alternatives, intended to imitate animal leather, are popular with fashion designers. Most fungal leather alternatives rely on ‘as-grown’ mycelium networks, which are time-intensive to grow and difficult to scale. We present a leather alternative designed for scalability, utilising mushroom residues and papermaking methods. Flexible chitin-glucan sheets were produced from Agaricus bisporus mushrooms with tensile strengths up to 20 MPa, values approaching those of synthetic and bovine leather (∼13 MPa and 10–31 MPa, respectively), and strains-to-failure of 16–18% (compared to 15–60% and 31–69%, respectively). Sheet aesthetics and mechanical properties were tailored through modified fungal pulp extraction, dyeing, and reinforcement with cellulose-based fibres to achieve tear strengths comparable to bovine leather (104–107 N/mm compared to 42–106 N/mm). Mushroom residue-based sheets demonstrated a solution aligned with the principles of circularity, converting underutilised by-products into wearable garments to reduce waste and resource use in the fashion and textile industries.
AU - Zhao,A
AU - J眉stel,JPM
AU - Jones,MP
AU - Weiland,K
AU - Bismarck,A
DO - 10.1016/j.clema.2026.100407
PY - 2026///
TI - Circular and scalable leather alternatives from fungal fruiting bodies
T2 - Cleaner Materials
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clema.2026.100407
VL - 21
ER -
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