Entrepreneur turns rejected tomato waste into vegan leather
Pritesh Mistry's venture, The Bio Company, produces Bioleather using discarded tomato by-products for fashion and automotive use.
Pritesh Mistry has developed a way to transform discarded tomato by-products into a plant-based material called Bioleather, according to a report by the Times of India. The venture, The Bio Company, aims to address agricultural waste and the environmental impact of leather production.
Mistry began the project while studying biotechnology at Mumbai's Thadomal Shahani Engineering College. He developed the idea after observing pollution at leather tanneries in Kanpur and seeing large amounts of discarded produce on farms.
The production process uses tomato skins and seeds, which contain pectin, combined with biopolymers, plant-based binders, and natural fibres. The company states that its material avoids the use of polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride, describing the product as vegan and biodegradable.
The Bioleather material has been used for items including footwear, jackets, handbags, and automotive interiors. Natasha Mangwani, founder of the Toronto-based handbag label Satuhati, started creating samples with the material in 2024 before starting commercial production shortly after.
The Bio Company won the Best Innovation in Textile award at the 2021 PETA Vegan Fashion Awards. A February 2025 report from Tomato News stated that the company produces approximately 5,000 metres of Bioleather every month at its facility.