Sustainable Surface Materials: skai® Faux Leather and Furniture Films

skai® surfaces for upholstery and furniture fronts emulate their natural models such as leather and wood not only in terms of look and feel, but also in terms of environmental compatibility. skai® products offer processors and users consistent aesthetics and superior performance that only plastics can provide, coupled with technologies and processes that are increasingly conserving resources and the climate.

For many people, it's as much a part of the morning as the sunrise: a good, delicious-smelling cup of coffee. And while others are still sipping with relish, surface expert Continental is already one step ahead and - super rested - is using the coffee grounds produced to manufacture the high-quality upholstery fabric skai® VyP Coffee.

The product with a classic leather grain can undoubtedly be described as a milestone in the development of sustainable surface materials, as the production of this special artificial leather is resource-conserving as well as energy-efficient and makes use of recycled and natural components. 

However, the innovative material can convince not only with a sustainable manufacturing process, but also with its excellent inner values such as durability and ease of care. It also scores with a particularly elegant look. The laif® technology makes the cover fabric particularly breathable and also ensures a high level of seating comfort wherever people spend longer periods of time - such as in hotels, restaurants and cafés, but also in doctors' practices or hospitals.

The synthetic upholstery fabrics from skai® also inspire with ever-improving sustainability. Not only because they stay beautiful longer and longer thanks to staynu finishing. There are also constantly new solutions for the materials themselves that contribute to the responsible use of natural resources.

For example, skai^® Vyp Coffee mit laif Technologie: One square meter of the breathable upholstery fabric contains coffee grounds from about 3 cups of coffee! The vegan PU synthetic leatherPU-Kunstleder skai^® Pureto EN, skai^® Evida and  skai^® Evida Fiber with bio-based components and Ökotex 100 certification, skai^® Toronto EN with solvent-free finish, and many other skai® upholstery fabrics are also particularly sustainable.

Since 2020, skai^® rPET PureLux has been setting sustainable standards in the market: The 2D furniture film with staynu technology uses 100% recycled PET in the polymer and is produced on extruders specially developed for this purpose. We are thus meeting the demand for recycling-based solutions without having to accept any disadvantages in terms of appearance, haptics, processing and usage properties. The product is phthalate- and solvent-free, REACH-compliant and meets the requirements of ISO 14001 (environmental management) and 50001 (energy management) standards.

The innovative staynu^® technology makes the surface extremely resistant to scratches and fingerprints. And because the furniture film is manufactured in Germany, long transport routes are not an issue for European buyers.

We are making not only skai® surfaces themselves, but also procurement, production, and transport increasingly sustainable: skai® upholstery and furniture surfaces, for example, are manufactured in Germany using 100% renewable energy. During production, material residues are recycled wherever possible. Heat losses from our plants are minimized, exhaust gases are filtered, and much more. So that our planet remains worth living and experiencing in the future.

Order samples for your sustainable project right here and convince yourself of the plastic alternative for conventional leather.
Do you have any questions? We will be happy to advise you.