In an interview with CosmeticOBS, Fanny Deléage, co-founder and CEO of La Tannerie Végétale, talks about the genesis of her project, the possible applications for her biosourced material, and the opportunities it offers beauty brands committed to a more circular approach.
CosmeticOBS: What’s the concept behind La Tannerie Végétale?
Fanny Deléage: La Tannerie Végétale is a deeptech industrial startup founded in 2020, between Lyon and Saint-Étienne. We support luxury brands and art artisans in their transition to a circular economy, thanks to new flexible materials. These materials are bio-circular: biosourced, totally natural, without plastic or animal matter. They are also circular, as they can be recycled and even composted at home.
I co-founded the company with my former thesis supervisor, Yvan Chalamet, who continues to be part of the adventure as a scientific, technical and industrial expert. He helps us move forward in all these areas.
CosmeticOBS: How did you get the idea to embark on such an adventure?
Fanny Deléage: My background is in science: I’m an engineer with a doctorate in chemistry and materials science. Today, I’m more involved in management and entrepreneurship, but my roots are still there. My thesis was already on bioplastics, based on plant materials such as corn flour. At the time, there was still some plastic or synthetic material in the formulations, which posed problems in terms of compatibility with nature and circularity.
So I left the plastics sector …
