Malai Biocomposite

Malai coconut leather

Malai Biocomposite - a novel plant based and home compostable alternative to animal leather

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ_7W-DbmpY&list=PLUtZVUpKEvmgQGVjhSyeOr-GcP1gYVGG3

India is world third largest cultivator of Coconuts. Every day a small coconut processing unit disposes of cca 4000 litres of water from mature coconuts in process of preparation of coconut oil. This water is discarded as waste and released into the drainage. We collect this water and feed it to a bacteria that ferments on it and produces Bacterial Cellulose. We developed a process for refining this Bacterial Cellulose into sheets of strong, flexible and water resistant material that has feel and properties similar to animal leather. Production of animal leather is on of the most polluting industries in the world and fashion, footwear and automotive companies all around the world are looking for replacement and better alternatives. Malai biocomposite can be processed using same machinery used for leather in order to make products like accessories, light footwear or interior product from it. It is home compostable, vegan and doesn't contain any oil-based ingredients.

India is world third largest cultivator of Coconuts. Every day a small coconut processing unit disposes of cca 4000 litres of water from mature coconuts in process of preparation of coconut oil. This water is discarded as waste and released into the drainage. We collect this water and feed it to a bacteria that ferments on it and produces Bacterial Cellulose. We developed a process for refining this Bacterial Cellulose into sheets of strong, flexible and water resistant material that has feel and properties similar to animal leather. Production of animal leather is on of the most polluting industries in the world and fashion, footwear and automotive companies all around the world are looking for replacement and better alternatives. Malai biocomposite can be processed using same machinery used for leather in order to make products like accessories, light footwear or interior product from it. It is home compostable, vegan and doesn't contain any oil-based ingredients.

Malai emerged as a research project of Zuzana and Susmith- two founders of the company in 2017. They were both fascinated by unique properties of Bacterial Cellulose and its potential to create a variety of useful materials with great environmental credentials. They also realised there is an excess waste in form of water from mature coconuts all over India and that this water could be an ideal feedstock for Bacterial Cellulose fermentation. They started collaborating with coconut processing units in South India and investigated ways how to make Bacterial Cellulose properties more suitable for use in commercial products. Their initial clients were designers and brands from fashion industry seeking more sustainable material for their products and collections of accessories and footwear. Today Malai runs a small scale pilot manufacturing unit in Kerala and continues r&d process in order to finetune the material properties of Malai Biocomposite. It supplies the material in limited quantities to clients all over the world.

Malai emerged as a research project of Zuzana and Susmith- two founders of the company in 2017. They were both fascinated by unique properties of Bacterial Cellulose and its potential to create a variety of useful materials with great environmental credentials. They also realised there is an excess waste in form of water from mature coconuts all over India and that this water could be an ideal feedstock for Bacterial Cellulose fermentation. They started collaborating with coconut processing units in South India and investigated ways how to make Bacterial Cellulose properties more suitable for use in commercial products. Their initial clients were designers and brands from fashion industry seeking more sustainable material for their products and collections of accessories and footwear. Today Malai runs a small scale pilot manufacturing unit in Kerala and continues r&d process in order to finetune the material properties of Malai Biocomposite. It supplies the material in limited quantities to clients all over the world.

www.malai.eco