Sustainable Faux Leather Alternatives for Commercial Vinyl Upholstery

Vinyl upholstery options have multiplied over recent years, and there are a variety of sustainable alternatives available. But how do you understand the difference between these eco-friendly faux leathers, and find the most suitable for your commercial upholstery project?

Let’s take a closer look at our three main sustainable faux leather categories that all have the performance of a vinyl upholstery: EPU’s, silicones and clean vinyls.

EPU’s

EPU’s are sustainable polyurethane (PU) faux leathers that are made of 100% EPU polyurethane. EPU leather is PVC-free, uses zero water, has zero waste chemicals, and uses zero solvents in production.

All our EPU’s are created utilising a new superior molecular structure that yields reduced environmental impact and increased performance at a compelling price.

We have different EPU products available, including Dexter and Printwork EPU. All are GREENGUARD Certified.

Top of the performance table is Endurance. It is a very high performing, sustainable faux leather offering a rub rate of 1,300,000 double rubs (Wyzenbeek) and superior hydrolysis resistance at 15 weeks.

The hydrolysis test for polyurethanes is commonly known as the ‘jungle test.’ It evaluates hydrolysis resistance of polyurethane upholsteries’ ability to withstand exposure to extended periods of heat and humidity. The result is determined when visual evaluation shows no cracking, peeling or delamination for 5 weeks. So you can see that Endurance has an exceptional result three times more than the standard.

In addition, Endurance EPU is IMO Certified, meaning it has passed rigorous FR tests for marine vessel upholstery use.

Silicone

Silicone is made from sand naturally occurring in the environment, with sustainability and performance attributes important to the contract textile industry.

Materialised is home to a number of faux leathers made from 100% silicone.

Of note is Silica, developed by Momentum. The Momentum Textiles Design Team was searching for the most sustainable alternative to vinyl upholstery. What they discovered was an environmentally friendly product with extremely high performing properties. The process began to develop this for upholstery and the result is Silica, which is inherently antimicrobial and GREENGUARD GOLD Certified.

As well as its amazing sustainable attributes, Silica is ink erasable with water. In fact, all tested stains cleaned with a damp cloth. 

Silicone Hybrids

Now Momentum has developed hybrids incorporating the best of both silicone and polyurethane.

Introducing Silica Blend and Silica Suede, the latest innovative additions to the Silica family of coated products. Offering an exceptional hand, notable performance, and more choice; these designs combine high-performance polyurethane with the aesthetic, sustainability and cleanability of Silica. They are also GREENGUARD Certified and inherently antimicrobial.

These designs are both 70% PVC-free polyurethane; 30% silicone. The engineered substrate combination of silicone and polyurethane creates a product that is competitive with other luxurious coated products.

One of the biggest properties of these products is the supple hand and upholsterability that they offer.

Clean Vinyl Upholstery

Clean Vinyl is a new category of phthalate-free coated textiles.

Vinyl has been an important product type for commercial interiors since the mid-20th century. Phthalate-free vinyl has been available in many product types for several years including our wall covering, however, it is only now becoming available to use for upholstery applications.

The inaugural Clean Vinyl upholstery collection featured three patterns: Evo CV, Tribeca CV and Vanguard CV which were designed to provide a thorough and thoughtful offering of basic textures and colours which work well in a wide range of markets. This collection has now been expanded to include many more designs.

They consist of no chemicals of concern, are GREENGUARD Certified and Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) compliant. Proposition 65 is a California law. Its goals are:

• To protect drinking water sources from toxic substances that cause cancer and birth defects.
• To reduce or eliminate exposures to those chemicals.
• To require product labelling to warn consumers in advance of those exposures.

All Clean Vinyl patterns have Health Product Declaration (HPD) documentation with disclosure of content, ingredients, and life cycle.

Clean Vinyl upholstery is constructed through a careful evaluation of every component. The result is a confidence that Clean Vinyl textiles are sustainable and perform.

Other Sustainable Faux Leathers

In addition, Impression and Interlace are phthalate-free PVC’s that offer some lovely textures and woven metallics.

Sustainable Faux Leather

If you’re looking for sustainable alternatives to vinyl upholstery then our extensive range of sustainable faux leathers offer diverse colour palettes, designs and textures suitable for any commercial project brief and budget.

See all of our vinyls / faux leathers and use the sidebar filter to search by sustainability.