• A partially-biodegradable, leather-like composite was fabricated without any fabric substrate from post-consumer textile waste. • The material exhibits a balanced functional profile: tensile strength up to 11.0 MPa and tunable breath-ability. • Flexural fatigue resistance (>50,000 cycles) is achieved via a reversible hydrogen-bonding mechanism at the fiber-matrix interface. • Preliminary finite element simulation suggests potential for impact-absorbing applications. This study presents a circular pathway by developing an eco-friendly, leather-like composite exclusively from post-consumer garment waste. Mechanically recycled fibers (70:30 cotton:polyester) were integrated into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-starch-glycerol matrix via aqueous solution casting and compression molding, creating coherent sheets without a fabric substrate. Comprehensive characterization revealed a tensile strength up to 11.0 MPa and exceptional flexural fatigue resistance (>50,000 cycles), attributed to energy dissipation via reversible inter-facial hydrogen bonding. The material also demonstrated tunable breath-ability (0.61–0.78 mg/cm²/hr). Basic finite element analysis (FEA) shows its impact absorption potential for protective gear. A comparative analysis highlights that this substrate-free composite achieves functional performance competitive with conventional materials while offering a potential sustainability profile derived from waste valorization and reduced petrochemical content. The composite is partially biodegradable: the PVA-starch matrix and cellulosic fiber fraction are biodegradable, but the ∼30% polyester content from the recycled feed-stock is not. This represents a substantial reduction in persistent petrochemical content compared to 100% synthetic PU/PVC leathers, though full biodegradability is not claimed. This work paves way towards a viable design paradigm for high-durability, eco-friendly leather alternatives.
Roy et al. (2026) studied this question.