Cactus Leather Watch Straps

Here at Hurtig Lane we are so excited to launch our new Cactus Leather watch straps! The world's first highly sustainable and environmentally friendly organic material made of Nopal cactus, also known as the prickly pear. This vegan and cruelty-free material is durable, long-lasting and uses far less water, energy and carbon than animal and PU leather alternatives.

WATER
Cactus Leather only needs 0.02m3 of water to produce 1m2 of material. This is 1647.5 x less water than animal leather which uses 32.95m3 and PU leather which uses 2.93m3.

CARBON
Cactus Leather produces over hugely less carbon than animal leather. Only 1.39 Carbon GHG per m2, compared to 27.30 for animal leather and 4.81 for PU leather.

ENERGY
Cactus Leather requires vastly less energy to produce than animal leather. Only 34.33 CED (MJ) per m2, compared to 335.84 for animal leather and 92.93 for PU leather.

CARBON NEGATIVE
In only 14 acres of organic cactus plantations, 8,100 tons of CO2 can be absorbed per year, while at the farm only generates 15.30 tons of CO2 annually.

SUSTAINABLE
Not only does Cactus only need a little water and resources to be grown. The entire manufacturing process to turn Cactus into leather requires far less water, energy and carbon than its animal and PU alternatives.

EMISSIONS
Cactus Leather produces hugely less waste emissions than animal leather. Only 1.80 KGCO2EQ per m2, compared to 27.30 for animal leather and 5.85 for PU leather.

WHY CACTUS?
- Cactus is a natural carbon sink, it has a great CO2 sequestering capacity.
- From the 14 acres farm, it is able to absorb 8,100 tons of CO2/year while the farm we only generate 15.30 tons of CO2 annually.
- It takes approximately 3 leaves of cactus to create one linear meter of Desserto.
- This process involves only cutting the mature leaves of the plant without damaging the plant itself, enabling repeat harvest every 6-8 months from the same plants.
- USDA certified cactus is grown in an organic farming system in the fertile and mineral-rich region of Zacatecas, Mexico.
- The cactus farm does not compete with food, giving cactus its highest value!
- 50% of the processed harvest is directed to the food industry benefiting the farm. Two industries can co-exist with a single crop (feed-stock).
- Cactus naturally regenerates soil.
- It only takes 200 liters to grow one kilogram of cactus biomass which water is absorbed by the plant itself from humidity present in the atmosphere, compared to 1000 liters (on average) to grow the same kilogram from other crops.
- Cactus is a tough and resilient specie, adapted to extreme conditions able to survive in areas where nothing else will grow.
- Cacti can grow in severely degraded soils, which are inadequate for other crops.