Exploring Ganoderma lucidum as a sustainable bioleather alternative from sawdust

The global leather industry faces pressing ethical and environmental challenges due to animal exploitation and the use of hazardous tanning chemicals. To develop a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative, this study investigates bioleather derived from the mycelium of Ganoderma lucidum, a medicinal fungus. The bioleather production process replicated traditional leather-making stages-culturing, substrate pretreatment, scale-up via solid-state fermentation, tanning, and material characterization-using only plant-based and non-toxic components. The resulting fungal sheets exhibited high flexibility, being five times foldable without breakage, and closely resembled animal leather. Mechanical analysis revealed a maximum tensile strength of 0.487 MPa and 69.29% elongation, while FTIR confirmed tannin-protein interactions. TGA demonstrated 90% structural integrity up to 200 °C, and FE-SEM imaging showed small pores correlated with improved strength and pliability. These results indicate that G. lucidum mycelial sheets possess strong potential as sustainable bioleather. With further optimization, this biomaterial could serve as an ethical, biodegradable substitute for conventional leather.