By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
The Vegetarian Resource Group published an article on our blog titled How Sustainable Is Vegan Leather? in June 2020. At the time we went to press, we had not yet received responses from several companies that make all-natural vegan leather.
Here we present the Q&A exchange we had through email with Dr. Luke Haverhals, the Founder and CEO of Natural Fiber Welding® (NFW), the company that creates Mirum.
The VRG: What is Mirum made of?
NFW: Mirum is made from plants – both fiber and vegetable oils. Sometimes we use clay and other inorganic fillers as well as natural inputs for colors (e.g., turmeric can produce a lovely orange color).
Because Mirum uses only natural inputs, it does not become toxic waste like plastics. Few people understand that the reason why old clothes, shoes, etc. must be landfilled is that petroleum-based plastic waste is toxic and cannot decompose without harming the biosphere.
The VRG: Do you use ANY petrochemicals at any stage of production of Mirum?
NFW: No, Mirum is natural. Mirum is revolutionary and completely unique in the world in that we do not use any petrochemicals nor any synthetic glues/polymers derived from petrochemicals. For example, Mirum does NOT use polyurethane like many others who claim this high-carbon footprint, petroleum-based material is somehow “vegan.”
This article points out how plastic-containing materials can never be regarded as truly “vegan.”
NFW is pioneering state-of-the-art manufacturing processes that use Plants, Not Plastic™ because we desire to make the lowest resource (e.g., lowest carbon footprint) materials possible.
The VRG: How quickly does Mirum biodegrade and under what conditions?
NFW: It depends. If a tree falls in the forest, it may take a long time to degrade. If the tree is chopped into small bits, the degradation process happens much faster. Mirum formulations are extremely tunable. Mirum is always degradable since it is made only from nutrients. That said, the absolute biodegradation characteristics are tunable as well and depend on both the raw materials utilized as well as the way in which the product is treated at the end of its lifecycle.
It is also worth mentioning that Mirum can be recycled. NFW will be scaling and implementing recycling capabilities as we scale production of Mirum.
While much hype and funding has been given to biotech “solutions” that cannot scale, NFW has been quietly working to develop scalable technologies that actually deliver. In the second half of 2020, there will be major announcements of partnerships with global brands that know NFW has developed the truly game-changing technology platforms that deliver.
Note to Readers: When The VRG receives updates from NFW on Mirum as well as responses from other all-natural vegan leather companies, we will post them here on our blog.
The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.