In New Zealand, a startup called KiwiLeather Innovations is building a business converting rejected kiwifruit into a leather alternative.
According to Fresh Plaza, over 50,000 tons of kiwifruit is deemed unfit for sale in New Zealand annually.
KiwiLeather Innovations founder Shelley Jouston, inspired by similar fruit waste-to-leather projects in Europe, collaborated with Scion research to create a material from kiwi waste that is suitable for applications like automotive interiors and furniture production.