Motivation – Revoltech is a young start-up at TU Darmstadt that develops sustainable leather alternatives. Their first product, LOVR, is made from hemp fibers, which are a by-product of hemp cultivation. LOVR is petroleum-free, vegan and both biodegradable and recyclable. Work is underway with VW on the use of LOVR in car interiors.

A second product is currently in the development phase: MATTR is a very soft, flexible imitation leather based on algae. The company's aim is to use MATTR to make the fashion and footwear industry more sustainable, as MATTR is also completely biodegradable. In order to substantiate the sustainability of MATTR with facts and figures, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is now to be carried out. The scientific challenge here is to deal with missing data on a product in the development stage and to formulate sustainability requirements.

Subject areas:

• Sustainable product development
• Life Cycle Assessment
• Sustainability requirements