Only leather will replace leather—Qorium is all in for it

“Nothing can replace leather, but leather,” states Michael Newton, CEO of Qorium. The startup is developing a sustainable alternative to leather using cell-based technology. “Over the past 70 years, different options have attempted to replace leather; each of them has downsides, and they are hardly environmentally friendly,” he adds.   

To make its product, Qorium only needs a small sample of cow cells, which are engineered to produce high-quality collagen sheets. This way, there is no need to use animals to source the material. At the same time, it is not made from plastic materials, thus does not pollute during production, and is challenging to recycle at the end of its life. 

In November, the startup secured €22 million from investors including the national impact investor Invest-NL, the regional development agency LIOF, Brightlands Venture Partners, and Sofinnova Partners. With this funding, Qorium plans to perfect its production process, expand its production facilities, and scale up production. At the moment, the company can manufacture 35 by 35 cm sheets of leather. “But to cater to industries like automotive or fashion, we must produce scale to multiple meters in size,” explains the CEO.

How Qorium’s sustainable leather is made

Creating sustainable leather, the Qorium way, takes five steps. It all starts by taking a small sample of skin cells from a cow, a so-called biopsy. This step only happens rarely, and has been done years ago–the startup doesn’t need to perform a biopsy for every batch of leather it produces. 

From this sample, fibroblast cells — the most common cells in connective tissue—can be isolated. The following step is indeed to take these cells and perfect them. “Basically, we modify them in different ways, so they have the traits we look for and are even higher performing in our context,” Newton clarifies.

Next, the cells are allowed to proliferate in a stir tank bioreactor, where they grow in response to inputs such as nutrients and temperature. The fourth step is called differentiation, during which cells begin producing the collagen found in skin, eventually forming uniform collagen sheets. 

The collagen sheets are then ready for the final step of tanning, which is being done by Qorium partners. Given the collagen sheets’ purity, this process requires fewer chemical inputs than conventional leather production. This final step is what truly affects the leather's properties, making it suitable for use in a pair of shoes, a car seat, or a handbag. Currently, it takes approximately seven weeks to complete this production process. 

‘Tremendous sustainability and ethical benefits’

With a background in venture capital and over a decade at Nike—working both in the innovation and manufacturing departments of the sportswear company—Newton joined the Maastricht-based company in 2023. To this end, he brings his commercial, business, and execution expertise to the company, founded in 2021 by Dr. Mark Post, the pioneer behind Mosa Meat's cultivated meat burgers. 

“What I first and foremost saw in Qorium was the opportunity to build a wonderful product,” he recalls. “As a product person, I believe that you need to develop beautiful, high-performing goods for consumers; otherwise, they are not going to adopt them. On top of that, I saw the tremendous sustainability and ethical benefits that come with the application of this technology.”

Three goals are on top of the CEO’s priority list. Increasing the size of the collagen sheets, scaling from centimeters to multiple meters. To do so, the team is entirely focusing on improving the production process. Key to this aspect is the efficacy of the bioprocesses, optimizing how the cells eat and reproduce. Driving commercial engagement is as relevant as the company aims to deepen the existing partnerships and build new ones. 

Qorium's team - © Qorium

Leather won’t disappear

Leather is here to stay, according to Newton. “Whether it is fashion or automotive, brands love the unique properties of leather, and they are not willing to compromise on that. I am bullish about our leather, which is not going to be only a one-on-one replacement, but can be an even better product,” he underlines. 

In fact, each batch of Qorium’s leather is identical to the others. Not only is quality consistent, but this leather comes without all the imperfections that can be found on cow leather, such as blood vessels, hair, and birthmarks, which need to be removed to use the material. The same uniformity also applies to the leather format, which comes in rectangular sheets—easier to cut, and that reduces material waste.

Scaling up 

The roadmap is clear. “In five years, we should be making millions of square meters of leather,” states Newton. By that time, he hopes Qorium will be present in two industries and have a fully commercial manufacturing facility in Europe, with another on the way in another geography. The topman doesn’t lack any confidence, and he’s sure Qorium has all the capabilities to finally deliver a credible, sustainable alternative to leather.