Image of Tina Lunder in the Alt. Leather lab holding a piece of their leather alternative.

A commitment to sustainability and innovation

Alt. Leather's mission is to scale the production of its 100% bio-based leather alternative, focusing on sustainable growth, innovation and market expansion.

Its alternative leather is crafted from agricultural waste and regenerative plant fibres which provides a durable, animal-free solution for industries like footwear, upholstery and automotive.

A natural problem solver

Traditional leather production is resource-intensive, involving significant water usage, chemical treatments, and greenhouse gas emissions. And synthetic alternatives often rely on petrochemicals and are non-biodegradable.

Considering the enormity of the problem, Tina was compelled to solve this problem and develop a material that she would be happy to use.

From scrambled eggs to sophisticated leather

The first trials were not exactly a success. Tina describes it looking more like scrambled eggs than leather. By the end of 2023, the results were looking more like leather, and this confidence led them benchmarking against industry standards.

Tina quickly realised they needed to bring in their own testing equipment to accelerate to a 24-hour window. Setting up their own suite of in-house lab testing was a steep learning curve for the small Alt. Leather team but changed the game.

Focusing on the business

Working with the Industry Growth Program Adviser has allowed Tina to focus on the gaps of the business. Her Adviser helped map out the next 18 months and beyond, going deeper into the business than they have been before.

This deep analysis of their business produced data and reports to demonstrate to investors what they are capable of. Tina says their Adviser was great at highlighting the key aspects they needed to focus on.

Having someone in your corner to support you, someone who's got that government lens, someone who you can call for advice on things is essential for anyone building a business from the ground up. That's the reason we've come so far in a short period, because we've got great people to call on when we need it.
— Tina Funder, founder and CEO of Alt. Leather

The next stage of growth

With a $1,151,853 Commercialisation and Growth grant, Alt. Leather plans to upscale their small manual lab process to larger more automated equipment. It will improve their capability and capacity to move their production in-house.

With successful material trials and growing interest from various industries, Alt. Leather is poised for expansion.

Find out more