时尚新宠：菠萝叶做成的皮革

 Animal leather alternatives like Polyurethane and PVC leather may have solved the fashion industry's animal cruelty problem, but they are not the most environmentally friendly solutions. Pi?atex – a new leather-like material made from pineapple leaves – on the other hand, may just be the all-around eco-leather we've all been waiting for.

类似聚氨酯和PVC革的动物皮革替代品或许已经解决了时装业的动物虐待问题，但它们并非最环保的方案。而现在，一种类似皮革的新材料Pi?atex横空出世。这种用菠萝叶子做成的材料可能正是我们期待已久的全能环保皮革。

Pi?atex or "vegan leather" is the invention of Dr. Carmen Hijosa and her innovative¹ materials company, Ananas Anam. While working in the Philippines as a consultant² to the Product Development and Design Center of the Philippines in the '90s, she discovered the properties of pineapple leaf fibers³ and dedicated⁴ her life to creating sustainable alternatives to leather and petroleum-based textiles. After years of research, Ananas Anam has finally come up with what it believes is a viable⁵ alternative to animal leather. It recently showcased the versatility⁶ of Pi?atex during a presentation held at the Royal College of Art in London, where designers displayed various clothing items and accessories made exclusively from the revolutionary material.

Pi?atex，或者说“素皮革”，是卡门?伊卓莎博士及其材料创新公司Ananas Anam的发明。90年代，伊卓莎博士一直在菲律宾的产品研发和设计中心当顾问。那时，她注意到菠萝叶纤维的性能，并开始致力于创造可持续的皮革替代品和以石油为原料的织物。经过多年研究，Ananas Anam公司终于打造出自认为成功的动物皮革替代品。最近，该公司在伦敦皇家艺术学院向人们展示了Pi?atex的多功能性。设计师们展示了专用这种革命性材料制成的多种衣物和配件。

时尚新宠：菠萝叶做成的皮革

This new vegan leather is made from bonded⁷ fibers that are extracted from pineapple leaves on plantations⁸ by farmers before they are cut up and layered. These fibers then go through an industrial process that yields the innovative Pi?atex textile. The canvas-like materials can then be dyed, printed and treated to give it different thicknesses and types of texture⁹, including leather. The production creates a byproduct of biomass which can be returned to the farmers to be used as fertilizer on their plantations. To produce one square meter of medium thickness Pi?atex, 480 pineapple leaves are required. That may seem like a lot, but it's only the leaves from 16 pineapples, leaves which are otherwise just left to rot in the fields after the pineapples are picked.

这种全新素皮革的原料是菠萝叶中萃取出来的黏合纤维。纤维萃取由种植园的农民们在将菠萝叶切碎并分层堆积前完成。接着，这些纤维需经过一系列工业处理，才能生产出革命性的Pi?atex。之后，这种类似帆布的材料可以被染色和印花，经过不同的处理来得到不同的厚度和包括皮革在内的各种质地。生产过程中出现的有机物副产品可以被农民回收利用，充当种植园的肥料。生产一平方米中等厚度的Pi?atex需要480片菠萝叶。可能这听起来很多，但其实16颗菠萝即可长出这么多叶子。何况这些叶子如果不拿来生产材料，在菠萝采摘完毕后，它们也只能留在地里腐烂而已。

Pi?atex is still in development, and currently includes a non-biodegradable protective top layer for durability¹⁰, but Ananas Anam is looking into natural alternatives in the hopes of soon making the material fully¹¹ bio-degradable. Dr. Hijosa admits that it will take some time before vegan leather becomes market ready, but brands like Puma¹² and Camper have already created sample shoes out of Pi?atex, and designer Ally Capellino has turned into fashionable bags, and they all turned out quite well. As for how well items made of Pi?atex actually perform in real-life usage conditions, that remains¹³ to be seen.

Pi?atex仍处于研发阶段。目前人们正在尝试利用不可生物降解的保护层来延长它的使用寿命。不过Ananas Anam公司正在研究自然替代品，希望很快能让这种材料可完全生物降解。伊卓莎博士承认，素皮革距离上市仍需一段时间，不过彪马和露营者等品牌已经利用Pi?atex打造出了一些样品鞋，英国的箱包品牌Ally Capellino也已将Pi?atex制作成时尚箱包。这些产品的反响都很不错。至于Pi?atex的制品在现实使用中的表现如何，仍有待观察。

To continue her research and hopefully turn Pi?atex into a commercially-viable sustainable alternative to animal leather, Dr Hijosa is currently trying to secure more funding for Ananas Anam, of which she is the majority owner. She is also looking into other possible uses for Pi?atex, including anti-bacterial wound bandages, as the material would allow air to circulate to an injury, and insulation¹⁴ for homes.

为了继续进行研究并希望将Pi?atex变为商业上可行的、可持续的动物皮革替代品，伊卓莎博士正在为Ananas Anam公司筹集更多资金。她是公司的大股东。她仍在探索Pi?atex的其它潜在用途，包括制成抗菌创可贴（该材料的透气性很好）和房屋的绝缘材料。

Vocabulary

viable: 可行的；能成功的

biomass: 有机物；生物堆，生物燃料

insulation: 绝缘材料

1 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

2 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

3 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

6 versatility   

n.多才多艺，多样性，多功能

参考例句：

• Versatility is another of your strong points,but don't overdo it by having too many irons in the fire.你还有一个长处是多才多艺，但不要揽事太多而太露锋芒。
• This versatility comes from a dual weather influence.这种多样性是由于双重的气候影响而形成的。

7 bonded   

n.有担保的，保税的，粘合的

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee.威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• This adhesive must be applied to both surfaces which are to be bonded together.要粘接的两个面都必须涂上这种黏合剂。

8 plantations   

n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园，使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后，那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句

9 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

10 durability   

n.经久性，耐用性

参考例句：

• Nylons have the virtue of durability.尼龙丝袜有耐穿的优点。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 puma   

美洲豹

参考例句：

• The police and the volunteers combed the forest for the lost puma from the zoo.警察和志愿者们在森林里到处寻找动物园迷失的美洲狮。
• A businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree.一位商人去钓鱼，看见那只美洲狮在树上。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。