Korea University Team Wins PETA Award for Game-Changing Vegan Leather

Seoul, South Korea — A Compassionate Innovator Award has been delivered from PETA Asia to a team of scientists led by Dongyeop Oh at Korea University for developing a game-changing, eco-friendly, gluten-based vegan leather that helps spare cows and other animals from being slaughtered for their skins.

To create the new leather, the team combined heat and UV exposure to turn wheat gluten into a vegan leather that is strong, flexible, and water-resistant—without using environmentally destructive synthetic polymers or toxic chemicals commonly used in leather production. According to the team’s report, the gluten-based vegan leather is a lower-impact option that breaks down completely in soil, has a reduced carbon footprint of up to 13-fold compared to leather made from animal skins, and can even be eaten by insects.

“This team’s breakthrough innovation is a win for animals and the planet, and for today’s conscientious consumers, who are rapidly ditching animal skins for stylish, durable, vegan leathers,” says PETA Asia President Jason Baker. “PETA is delighted to recognize Dongyeop Oh’s team at Korea University for developing a gluten-based, animal-free leather—proof that fashion’s future is sustainable, ethical, and vegan.”

Cows have friends and mourn when a loved one dies, but those killed for leather may be skinned and dismembered while still conscious—after they’ve endured castration (for males), branding, and tail docking, often without painkillers. In addition to the horrific cruelty that the leather industry inflicts on animals, it’s a major contributor to climate change, land devastation, deforestation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Sustainable vegan leathers—including those made from apple peels, pineapple leaves, cork, mushrooms, and other plant materials—are just as durable and fashionable without the cruelty or environmental destruction of leather.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone. For more information, please visit PETAAsia.com or follow PETA Asia on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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