Turning Pineapple Waste Into a Global Material Innovation | Carmen Hijosa, Creator of Piñatex

<p>Carmen Hijosa is the founder of Ananas<strong> </strong>Anam and the creator of Piñatex, an innovative material made using fibers derived from pineapple leaf waste.</p><p>After spending years working in the leather industry, Carmen began questioning the environmental impact of traditional materials and searching for a better alternative. Her journey eventually took her to the Philippines, where she saw an opportunity in something that was largely being discarded: pineapple leaves.</p><p>That idea became Piñatex.</p><p>In this episode of LegendsNLeaders, Carmen shares the extraordinary journey of turning an agricultural byproduct into an innovative material used across fashion, footwear, accessories, and other industries.</p><p>We dive into the years of research and development behind Piñatex, founding Ananas Anam, convincing an established industry to embrace a completely new material, scaling manufacturing, working with global brands, and the challenges of taking an invention from an idea to commercialization.</p><p>Carmen also shares what decades in the leather industry taught her, why materials are so important to the future of fashion, and what she has learned about innovation, sustainability, persistence, and entrepreneurship.</p><p>From seeing potential in discarded pineapple leaves to creating a material recognized around the world, this is a conversation about challenging an established industry and building something entirely new.</p><p>#CarmenHijosa #Pinatex #AnanasAnam #Sustainability #Materials #Fashion #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #LegendsNLeaders</p>