Modern Meadow’s INNOVERA™ brand is set to expand the tanneries’ material portfolio, establishing itself as a robust alternative to conventional leather. The material comes with a validated edge in both sustainability and performance
“Lineapelle proved to be an ideal platform for a pioneering company like ours, launching an innovative product into the market,” affirms John Fletcher SVP of Corporate Sustainability & European Business Development at Modern Meadow, a bio-design firm founded in New York in 2011. “Our objective was to capture the interest of tanneries and major brands across the fashion, automotive, and footwear sectors, identifying value-aligned partners for potential new collaborations. The feedback, undoubtedly boosted by a comprehensive communication strategy following our brand relaunch, has been overwhelmingly positive, evidenced by the quality of the meetings we held.”
Formerly known as Bio-Vera®, INNOVERA™ is a next-generation semi-finished material that pairs exceptional performance with environmental responsibility. It is specifically engineered to replicate the tactile and visual characteristics of leather, completely devoid of animal-derived ingredients.
“Flexibility and versatility were the features that most captured the audience’s attention,” Fletcher notes. “From the hand-feel and surface effects to the color variations, INNOVERA™ can be realized in countless iterations and seamlessly integrate into any tannery’s process. Crucially, this product can be processed directly inside existing tanning drums, utilizing current technologies without requiring further capital expenditure. It simply demands a synchronization of the production cycle. Our onboarding service facilitates this transition, providing initial technical guidance to ensure clients can maximize the material’s potential.”
INNOVERA™ is also setting new standards for sustainability in the sector. While it is compatible with traditional tanning technologies, it yields significant benefits by reducing raw material needs, wastewater discharge, and salt byproducts from leather processing. “Eighty-two percent (82%) of its composition stems from renewable sources. Of that figure, 60% consists of recycled nylon derived from tire waste, and 22% comes from corn processing residues and soy proteins. These proteins are instrumental in giving the product a sensory experience, a hand-feel, scent and look, so similar to leather that it is virtually indistinguishable, even to the expert eye. This is achieved while boasting superior metrics in lightness, durability, and mechanical strength, areas often considered weak points for other next-gen materials.”
Transparency and an unwavering focus on quality are the ongoing goals at Modern Meadow, pursued through the attainment of major certifications, including ISCC+, Cradle to Cradle, and the crucial Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the product.
“The market validation we’ve received to date is deeply encouraging. In particular, the positive feedback from the automotive powerhouse Mercedes-Benz and the accessories brand Bellroy confirms that we are heading in the right direction,” concludes John Fletcher.
MODERN MEADOW – www.modernmeadow.com
The expressive side of the INNOVERA™ product fully demonstrated in the accessories on display
from the right: Jianglong Zhou (China Business Representative), John Fletcher (SVP of Corporate Sustainability & European Business Development) and Tenten Wu (Marketing) at the Modern Meadow stand at Lineapelle
