Leather supplier gives second life to ‘waste’ avocado and agave

In the hunt for alternative materials, fruit waste is apparently ripe for innovation.

Avocado in particular is showing promise and seems to be shifting from niche applications in bespoke furniture and fashion into more production-ready solutions that could service the world of automotive.

Avocado aficionados will be familiar with the tough 'pit' at the centre of the fruit, which is unceremoniously thrown away and forgotten about. In isolation, not a huge deal. But global avocado production is estimated to top 10 million metric tonnes each year, with nearly a third of that hailing from Mexico; here around 530,000 metric tonnes of avocado pits are discarded annually. That is a lot of waste.

Agave plants are another strong crop in this part of the world, and once their massive leaves have been hacked off it is really only the central 'piña' that is prized. While agave leaves have proven to be versatile as a secondary product – such as for medicinal sap – they are still a byproduct of the main crop and nearly half of the plant’s weight is ‘waste’.

Pangea has recognised the opportunity to work with producers in Mexico and put all of that to better use.

Indeed, a combination of modern processing techniques, experimental science and collaboration with local partners has revealed a significant means of repurposing waste avocado pits and agave leaves. Last month, Pangea revealed four new products in its ‘advanced’ line with both chrome and chrome-free variants: Ecoda Agave and Vendura Agave, and Ecoda Avocado and Vendura Avocado.

So, how is this bio-material used exactly? In the case of avocado pits, these compressed balls of starchy fibre are milled, hydrolysed with heat and water (to break down the chemical compound of the pit) and converted into a tannin-rich biopolymer. Around 1.4kg of biopolymer mixture can be created from a kilo of pits using this method. Meanwhile, a kilo of agave waste can produce an even larger yield of biopolymer, around 1.5kg, through a similar process. Those biopolymers are then applied to tanned hides, enhancing their performance.

Any armchair scientist can recognise that fruit and plant waste might serve more use beyond the compost heap. The challenge is figuring out where, and how. And particularly in an automotive setting, it is not as easy as spotting an opportunity and running with it. Salvador Salinas, North America wet hub senior manager at Pangea, explains.

“We keep an eye on emerging bio‑based chemistries, agricultural by‑products, and circular‑economy feedstocks that could improve wet‑end performance or reduce environmental impact,” he tells Car Design News. “When something shows promise, like the agave‑ and avocado‑derived biopolymers, our R&D teams run lab‑scale tests to confirm compatibility with existing tannages, substrate stability, and overall wet‑end robustness.” 

The process looks a little something like this: a promising material is identified, its suitability is evaluated at a basic level, and then it is trialled at a limited scale to validate things like consistency, scalability and whether it can stand up to automotive performance requirements like durability and safety. If only it was that simple.

Roger Pinto, director of sustainability and innovation at Pangea, notes there must be a close working relationship with “the local chemical industry” to really evaluate if an unfamiliar material will work. “These partnerships make it possible to develop, refine and scale new materials that align with Pangea’s performance expectations and our customers’ needs,” he says.

In leather making, these advances don’t happen by accident; they come from curiosity and a willingness to rethink traditional chemistries

Salinas elaborates. “Certifying new materials for automotive use comes with real challenges,” he says, “because they must meet the same durability and aesthetic expectations as any established material or chemistry, and they must do so across a lengthy set of customer specifications.” 

In the case of these agave and avocado biopolymers, the first step is “proving that the wet‑end chemistry creates a stable, predictable substrate that behaves like its underlying tannage,” Salinas continues. The treated leather must then pass the Advanced Product Quality Planning system, which checks for consistency in appearance, haptics, lab‑testing performance, and ultimately whether the material is “robust enough for manufacturability and profitability.”

How about some specifics. During the validation process, Pangea will confirm whether this new chemistry negatively affects the finish of the leather, including colourfastness, lightfastness (the ability to resist fading under UV rays), adhesion, abrasion, flex endurance and general environmental ageing. “These are essential for meeting the extensive seating specifications defined by OEMs,” says Pinto.

Our understanding is that avocado/agave-treated leather is being tested with all the usual seating and interior applications in mind, and Salinas seems confident that the material could eventually become a plug-and-play solution. “[Its behaviour] supports use across the complete seating package, not just in isolated trim pieces,” he affirms.

That is the long-term view, of course, but the team is a little more pragmatic with its short-term vision. “The first visible uses may appear in smaller or more discrete areas,” advises Pinto. “This is simply part of the normal automotive validation pathway, where OEMs often start with controlled or lower‑volume zones to confirm consistency, durability, and appearance under real production conditions.”

To the casual observer, and from what limited press shots we have been sent, there appears to be no aesthetic difference to the finish of these leather sheets. We must also applaud Pangea’s CMF team for showcasing the material in muted purple and green (the colour of avocado skin) and a creamy-beige (the colour of an avocado pip).

Looking ahead, the team are keen to see how all this progresses and note that it is always “genuinely exciting" to find new material solutions. “Each breakthrough opens the door to better performance, better sustainability, or a better experience for the customer,” says Salinas, “and in leather making, these advances don’t happen by accident; they come from curiosity and a willingness to rethink traditional chemistries. When a new material like the agave or avocado biopolymers shows real potential, it energises the entire team.” 

Pinto is of a similar opinion and notes that working with local industry partners to find a solution “makes the innovation feel purposeful, not just technical.”

Pangea is one of just a few players exploring the world of agave and avocado leather. Mexican company Adriano di Marti has also created its own agave leather (using waste fibres from the plant), and similar work with cactus-based biopolymers even led to a fashion deal with COS for small leather items like cardholders and satchels. Elsewhere, furniture designer Fernando Laposse has employed the tough avocado skins themselves, rather than the pit, to create a firm, leather-like veneer for cabinetry.