Haïkel Balti and César Valencia Gallardo, founders of Faircraft ©Julien Hamel

A robust, versatile and functional material, with a timeless aesthetic, whose products are associated with an image of quality: leather is one of the most popular materials in the sector Fashion and luxury, also in furniture and automobiles.

However, the leather industry is often heavily criticized for its major environmental impact and the ethical questions it raises. Conventional tanning processes (dehydrating a hide and attaching chemical agents to it to make it rot-proof and suitable for the manufacture of various products) generate significant pollution, while intensive livestock farming linked to leather production results in animal suffering and high greenhouse gas emissions. Consumers, increasingly sensitive to these issues (especially Generation Z, which is expected to represent 40% of the customers of fashion brands and Luxury by 2035), lead brands to question their practices and turn to alternatives.

Prefer vegetable-based leather? Some brands have adopted it, but these types of leather, based on the use of plants or fungi, struggle to fully reproduce the characteristics of animal leather, particularly in terms of durability, feel, and aesthetics. To compensate, these plant-based materials require sometimes significant quantities of petroleum-based substances, such as polyurethane. A chemical pollutant that is difficult to recycle, the production of which also contributes significantly to harmful gas emissions, and the application of which can emit toxic fumes.

Faircraft's ambition: to become the world's leading supplier of responsible leather, without compromising on quality

Is an alternative to animal leather, without compromising on durability, appearance, texture, or wear resistance, possible? The answer is yes, and it has been developed by Faircraft. This innovative startup was co-founded in 2021 by Haïkel Balti (CEO), a materials science and mechanical engineer, and César Valencia Gallardo (CTO), a doctor of biology specializing in biochemistry and cell biology, following their meeting through Entrepreneur First (a Parisian program that allows startup ideas to be developed and financial and strategic support to be obtained). I had a good knowledge of materials and I knew the issues of industrialization. César had very detailed experience in several verticals in biology, particularly in skin biology. We thought about how to produce skin on a large scale to make leather. " explains Haikel Balti.

While the ethical and environmental benefits quickly became obvious to them, their innovation still needed to be validated from a customer perspective. Not coming from these fields, Haïkel Balti says he personally sought out the leaders of fashion brands, leather goods, automobiles,furnishing, as well as the executive committees of major luxury houses. I received immediate responses from companies in very different sectors. I realized there was a real need, a real desire to find a solution to environmental and ethical issues. But also a question of controlling the supply chain that didn't depend on tanneries. » At the same time, César Valencia Gallardo began to determine how to implement their synthetic leather from a scientific perspective. The duo organized themselves, until they perfected their manufacturing protocol in 24 months and released the world's first handbag made entirely from lab-grown leather. A significant milestone, proof of the practical applications of their technology.

A manufacturing process not to imitate but to produce real skin

Asked about alternative materials to leather on the market for the past fifteen years, the CEO objects that " What we like in a leather is a certain number of characteristics which come from its structure and its composition " This is why the founders of the start-up did not seek to move away from animal skin, but rather to reproduce skin in vitro, then to repeat the usual tanning processes by making them cleaner, while retaining the know-how that allows them to obtain good quality leather.

Technically, it all starts with a biopsy, a skin sample taken from an animal's body under local anesthesia, from which cells are extracted. These are multiplied using a bioreactor, a device used to cultivate these cells in a controlled environment. Then they are sown on a support, where they will create bonds of collagen (an essential protein responsible for the strength, flexibility and cohesion of tissues), and elastin (an equally essential protein that works in tandem with collagen to maintain the elasticity and firmness of tissues, allowing them to regain shape after being stretched or compressed). After several weeks, it is possible to apply tanning to this structure to obtain in vitro leather, which will then be worked by designers, or in a manufacturing workshop. like any other leather ».

Beyond environmental and ethical values, could lab-grown leather also be a selling point for many other players? In any case, the innovative scientific approach seems to open up numerous opportunities and undeniably be a differentiating factor for certain geographical areas. Some market studies show, for example, that the innovative approach is highly appreciated in Asia. " says Haikel Balti.

A fundraising of 15 million euros to accelerate its development

Since 2021, Faircraft has been working to develop the technologies needed to develop in vitro skin for leather goods, and has successfully implemented its first manufacturing process. Currently, the company has the capacity to produce a few square meters of material each month, which is sufficient for capsule collections. Faircraft's ambition with this €15 million fundraising: to continue developing materials to adapt them for uses in specific fields, but above all to accelerate the industrialization of its company in order to produce larger volumes. A first factory is expected to open within three years.

Faircraft's capital includes several foreign and French investors, including Bpifrance's French Touch Capital fund. The entrepreneur said: This shareholding is important to us because we are an international company. (20 people, engineers and scientists of 8 different nationalities, currently work at Faircraft), but also very French. Our primary market is France; we rely on expertise that is very present in France, which we also want to promote and foster. Having Bpifrance as a shareholder allows us to anchor ourselves in a large number of areas related to our market and our supply chain, while maintaining our international ambitions. »

The entrepreneur concludes by presenting his point of view on the market of ethical fashionFor him, fashion continues to be associated with creativity and the expression of one's personality. To mitigate the impacts from an environmental and ethical perspective, he wants brands to emphasize elements of circularity and sustainability, without punishing the consumer. This is what Faircraft is all about: creating much more efficient raw materials, so that the end customer can continue to enjoy themselves in a much less impactful way. »