What began as a simple college project has grown into one of India’s most talked-about sustainability breakthroughs. During his final year of biotech engineering, Pritesh Mistry discovered how harmful traditional leather tanning is for the planet. Instead of ignoring the problem, he decided to reimagine leather itself, and that’s how Bioleather was born.

India wastes nearly 30–35% of its tomatoes, and Pritesh figured out how to convert this unused produce into a durable, cruelty-free leather alternative. Unsellable tomatoes are dried, powdered, blended with a natural biopolymer, and coated on cotton canvas to create a strong, leather-like material without harming animals or the environment.

Bioleather also creates microbial leather, grown using bacteria. It’s lightweight, biodegradable, highly customizable, and produced using far less land, water, and energy than traditional leather.

Today, Bioleather serves both B2B and B2C clients, generates ₹1.2 crore in annual revenue, and has won the PETA Vegan Fashion Award. With rising demand in India, the US, and the UK, this homegrown startup is turning food waste into a global fashion solution, proving innovation doesn’t always begin in a lab; sometimes, it starts in a tomato field.