LOVR

LOVR - a plastic-free, hemp-based leather alternative / Source: Revoltech

Abrasion-ResistantEuropeFlexibleHempLOVRRecyclableTextiles

WHAT WE SAY:

New materials need new ways of thinking. And that’s exactly the case with LOVR, an emerging 'surface material' from Revoltech.

While its closest comparison is leather, calling it so does it a disservice. LOVR is its own thing. Made from leftover hemp stalks, it's non-toxic, plastic free, home compostable, and goes back to the soil after use. The single-layer, single-ingredient material has an impressively wide range of uses across automotive interiors, furniture, fashion, and footwear, and the company is already working with big names in each of these fields. We only wish it was further along its scalability journey than it currently is, but we expect that to change pretty swiftly.

LOVR

WHAT IS LOVR?

LOVR is a surface material made from Hemp residues (leftover hemp stalks grown for CBD). It has been described as a leather alternative, but the brand feels that’s too limiting in its comparison—it’s not trying to imitate leather.
The single-layer, non-woven material from Revoltech can be used in automotive interiors, furniture, fashion and footwear, but the possibilities are huge and the material can be customised with regards to thickness, stiffness, and embossed grains.
Made from nothing but the hemp fibres left in the field after CBD harvesting, the material is abrasion resistant, durable, and has water and flame resistant properties. It can be moulded too, and can be either flexible or stiff.
Due to a lack of coating, the material is said to biodegrade in nature, returning to the earth as nutrients. It can be deposited in home compost but is not industrially compostable due to its thickness and the condensed time frame of industrial composting. As CEO Lucas Fuhrmann said in a conversation with PlasticFree, “It’s a conflict of interest for us. We want it to biodegrade, but not too fast, because otherwise it’s not sustainable if you need to re-buy and redo things all the time. It’s a fine line.”
The manufacturing process of the material will be made public after Revoltech’s patent is approved.
At present, LOVR is being put to use by a number of companies across the footwear, furniture, and automotive industries, but further details are currently blocked by NDAs.
Revoltech sources its agricultural waste directly from farmers around Germany, France, and other parts of Europe. With more than 7,000 hectares of hemp grown in Germany alone, Revoltech has more than enough raw material. “As it’s a byproduct, we have very nice access,” Fuhrmann said. He stated the brand can produce “a couple million square metres” of LOVR per year. For comparison, Taiwan alone produced 16.04 million square metres of polyurethane synthetic leather in 2022, as one of many faux leather producing countries.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Abrasion-Resistant
Flexible
Recyclable

INDUSTRY:

Textiles

AVAILABILITY:

Partner Trials

DIVE DEEPER:

Real and faux leather have outsized environmental impacts. Besides the ethical and environmental impact of raising animals for real leather, the tanning process is toxic. Commonly used chemicals include chromium, which becomes a carcinogen if oxidized; formaldehyde, which may cause cancer after long high-level exposure; and glutaraldehyde, which can cause many health problems for workers exposed to it.
Faux leather is commonly made with polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), both plastic materials. These materials have short lifespans, and pollute through every stage of their lives from drilling, refining, processing, wear, and end-of-life — when they are landfilled, incinerated, or find their way into waterways and break down into microplastics.
Hemp, on the other hand, has many environmental benefits to its use. Part of the cannabis sativa family, the plant is the best carbon-capturing crop there is. One hectare of hemp can absorb 22 tons of CO2. It also has remediation and phytoremediation properties, putting nutrients back into soils and pulling heavy metals and toxins out of the ground, as shown in its use at Chernobyl.
Because of the climate-friendly properties of hemp, Revoltech states that its manufacturing process requires only 0.3% of the carbon dioxide emissions used in traditional leather manufacturing. Data is not available on the comparison to faux leather due to the non- and under-reporting of emissions from oil wells and fracking fields.
On the environmental impact of hemp and LOVR, Fuhrmann said “we really put emphasis on working with hemp that is grown for nutrition and CBD purposes, rather than textiles or fibres.” By using a byproduct, Revoltech reduces agricultural waste and frees up fibre-grown hemp for other products.
Agriculturally, hemp can be grown in many parts of the world, but its legal status in any given country determines its cultivation. Due to the plant's ability to grow widely, the technology to produce LOVR could be licensed and spread to many parts of the world for regional manufacturing and use.
The material has already won numerous awards in Germany, including the Innovations for Tomorrow Award 2022, the Advanced Materials Competition 2022, Kultur- und Kreativpilot*innen Deutschland 2022, Science4Life Venture Cup 2022, Hessen Ideen 2021 and Hessischer Gründerpreis 2021.
Revoltech is a German company, founded in the summer of 2021 in Darmstadt in cooperation with the university TU Darmstadt. It is supported by multiple public grants and raised EUR 1 million (USD 1.08 million) in a seed funding round in May, 2022.

Dried hemp / Source: Revoltech

Wallets made with LOVR by Kreis Ledermanufaktur / Source: Revoltech

KEY FACTS:

7,000 HA

More than 7,000 hectares of hemp grow in Germany alone

22tns

One hectare of hemp can absorb 22 tons of CO2

0.3%

LOVR's manufacturing process requires only 0.3% of the carbon dioxide emissions used in traditional leather manufacturing

Key Questions to Ask:

What end-of-life scenario do you envision for your product?

LOVR is naturally biodegradable, so while that theoretically should make it easier to dispose of, many people don't have outdoor space or a home compost to dispose of it in. A take-back scheme should be put in place, allowing consumers to send back worn-out items that can be cut up and broken down in industrial-sized facilities, then used to either feed new hemp crops or be transformed back into more LOVR. Look to the UNLESS Collective x NFW Degenerate sneaker for inspiration.

What other components do you plan to mix with LOVR?

Pairing LOVR with other materials immediately calls into question the product's end-of-life. If those other materials and components are fossil-fuel based, fused to LOVR, or add tiny toxic elements to a design — think threads, laces, dyes, eyelets and so on — the positive impact of using LOVR is greatly reduced. Mono-material design is a key principle to adopt, but where that isn't possible then designing for disassembly, and ensuring all other components are plastic free, will ensure this material's best intentions are followed through.

How much LOVR do you need?

Currently, Revoltech says it can produce two million square metres of LOVR per year. This should be sufficient for many product lines, but make sure to get your orders in early. With so many awards on its shelf, LOVR is in demand.