Uncaged Innovations, a New York-based manufacturer of plant-based leather, has secured a USD 50,000 grant from Fuzehub, a New York nonprofit organization that supports research and development, technical advancements, and process improvements for New York State manufacturers.

The funds will support the company in scaling up its technology and continue conducting trials to further refine its product.

Founded in 2020, Uncaged Innovations’s patent-pending technology chooses different types of plants and ingredients, including plant collagen, and combines them to bring together different characteristics of leather. The resulting material mimics traditional leather without significant environmental impacts. The company claims that its plant-based leather emits 95% fewer greenhouse gasses than animal leather per meter and takes only hours to create instead of the years it generally takes in producing traditional leather.