What: Several fashion brands are experimenting with next-generation materials or “livestock-free” replacements for conventional animal-based materials produced in nature-friendly ways.

Why is it important: From Gucci to Salvatore Ferragamo, fashion brands are exploring “livestock-free” replacements for conventional animal-based materials that are also made in nature-friendly ways, in a bid to transform their production models.

Next-gen materials make a distinction from “current-gen” leather replacements, such as PVC, that rely on petroleum and harmful chemicals or manufacturing processes. While the race for the best vegan leather is already on, a similar shift is expected to take hold among other animal-based materials, including silk, wool, and fur.

This change has the potential to reduce fashion’s waste stream and carbon footprint and make it a more ethical industry by reducing its reliance on animals to make materials. Next-gen materials will not solve all of fashion’s problems and will not solve the wider problem of overproduction, but they have the potential to reduce some of the most urgent issues.

Plant-based materials are gaining pace