28 Oct Meet Terratan: Turning Agro-Waste into a Leather Alternative

Every year, farms across India produce huge volumes of crop residue, and much of it is burned in the fields. At Bharat Biomaterials, we saw that residue differently: as the raw material for a premium, high-performance leather alternative. That material is Terratan™.

What is Terratan?

Terratan is our signature plant-based leather material. It is made from agro-residue microfibres enhanced with proprietary bio-based binders. It offers the look, feel and durability of leather without the environmental toll of animal leather or fully fossil-based synthetics. Terratan is a non-toxic composite material designed for circular use.

Made from what the field leaves behind

Terratan starts with three agricultural residues:

• Sugarcane bagasse, the fibrous material left after juice extraction
• Wheat husk, separated during threshing
• Rice paddy residue, the straw left after the paddy harvest

These lignocellulosic residues are cleaned, dried and refined into fine, consistent microfibres. Using them gives farmers an additional source of income and helps keep residue out of the fire. Read more in Can agro-waste be a valuable industrial material?

How Terratan is made

The microfibres are combined with bio resins, natural binders and pigments into a compound developed and refined by our team over hundreds of trials. Using a transfer coating process, the compound is cast and laminated onto a textile backing, cured, finished with a protective top coat and embossed with the chosen grain. The whole process runs roll-to-roll, giving high consistency, scalability and seamless integration into our customers’ production lines. See how roll-to-roll manufacturing is changing leather alternatives.

Certified and verified

• USDA Certified Biobased Product, with up to 89% bio-based content
• PETA-Approved Vegan
• California Proposition 65 compliant
• REACH SVHC declarations available on request

Why brands choose Terratan

• Leather-like look and feel, engineered for longevity across industries
• Roll-to-roll consistency for efficient cutting and repeatable quality
• Fully integrable with existing production lines, making adoption fast and cost-effective
• Customisable in colour, texture, thickness and backing
• A credible story: agricultural waste, made in India, independently certified

Where Terratan is used

Terratan is designed for fashion and accessories, footwear, automotive interiors, and furniture and upholstery. Explore our application guides for fashion, footwear, automotive and furniture.

Who we are

Bharat Biomaterials LLP is based in Udaipur, Rajasthan. For us, sustainability is not a feature but the foundation of everything we do: we create bio-based, responsible materials that support circular, ethical and regenerative design systems.

Work with Terratan

Terratan™ is Bharat Biomaterials’ plant-based leather alternative, made from agricultural residue and produced in continuous rolls in India. Explore the material, read about our sustainability approach, or contact our team to request the technical data sheet and samples.