Gen Phoenix (formerly E-Leather)

Gen Phoenix was founded in 2007 as ELeather by Chris Bevan and is based in Peterborough, England. It turns leather offcuts and other post-industrial waste into recycled materials that it says perform like the originals. Aviation was its first market, and ELeather seat covers are installed on seats at airlines around the world.

Products

• ELeather and other recycled leather materials, in a choice of colors, finishes and performance levels
• Materials made from leather offcuts, post-consumer material or plant based feedstocks
• Seat cover materials for aircraft
• Materials for automotive, footwear, leather goods and contract seating

Company timeline

• 2007: founded as ELeather
• 2008: first product, for the airline Jet2
• 2015: products in service with 100 airlines
• 2017: entered the footwear market
• 2020: opened a second factory
• 2022: expanded into automotive and fashion
• 2023 onward: entered leather goods

Markets

The company lists aviation, automotive, footwear, leather goods and contract seating as its markets. Its site says the materials have met the requirements of hundreds of customers worldwide, from airlines to consumer brands, and that buyers can choose color, finish and performance to meet a specification.

Company facts

• Can regenerate up to 6 million square metres of material a year
• Offices and factory at Unit 1, Forli Strada, Alwalton Hill, Peterborough PE7 3HH, and a second site at Kingsbridge Centre, Peterborough
• The company says that up to 75 percent of leather hides go to waste, which is the problem its process was built to solve
• Customers named on its site include airlines such as Aeromexico and Frontier Airlines
• Offers samples on request and discusses projects with customers