Desserto’s approach to sustainability: from cactus to responsible design
The Mexican brand was founded with the goal of creating a material that does not harm the environment. From its origin and cultivation to its production process, Desserto demonstrates how a real alternative can be developed and implemented within existing production systems.
Desserto was born from the direct experience of Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez in sectors such as furniture design, automotive and fashion: after witnessing first-hand the impact of materials on entire production ecosystems, they chose to leave traditional professional paths behind to build something new.
They then began a two-year period of intense research and development to propose low environmental impact alternatives, starting from a question as simple as it was urgent: what if it were possible to create materials without harming the planet?
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Desserto’s approach to sustainability challenges conventional design:
More than a material, a new way of making design
Produced by Adriano Di Marti S.A. de C.V., Desserto was officially launched in Milan in October 2019: it is a cactus-based material made from nopal cactus, capable of simultaneously meeting the needs of design, high performance and minimal environmental impact. Unlike other biomaterials, the proposed solution has already been conceived to support industrial demand, to be scalable and to demonstrate how it is possible to imagine new alternatives.
“For us, this is not simply a company. It is a concrete commitment to developing innovative cactus-based materials and expanding the possibilities offered by material innovation,” explained the team.
A holistic approach to sustainability
The commitment goes beyond the application of the material and starts from the very beginning, from the land itself: Desserto is committed to promoting agriculture through innovative practices and responsible ecosystem management. Starting from the context – a dry and desert environment affected by the consequences of climate change – the team selected the nopal cactus plant (Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly known as prickly pear), which, thanks to its unique characteristics, has an extraordinary ability to adapt to the most critical climatic conditions.
The plant originates from Mexico, which still represents the world’s leading producer and consumer today. The native species selected by Desserto, a CAM cactus, has a highly efficient metabolism in water usage: it absorbs CO₂ during the night and minimizes water consumption through its natural hygroscopic mechanism. Crops such as wheat, rice, soy and cotton generally require around 1,000 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of dry matter, while cactus achieves the same result using only 200 litres, autonomously collected by the plant.
Beyond thriving in desert environments, it can also be used for the recovery of degraded land. The cultivation is perennial and can last approximately 8 years – unlike other crops such as corn, which are annual. To create the material, only mature leaves are harvested every 6-8 months, ensuring minimal impact on the plant.
A low environmental impact process
After harvesting, the leaves undergo a natural drying process in solar drying chambers lasting three days, eliminating the need for additional energy. The organic raw material is then transformed into Desserto, following the patented formula. All cactus parts not used in the process are exported and sold to the national food industry.
The brand is committed to remaining completely organic, without the use of herbicides or pesticides. Through its agricultural practices, it promotes biodiversity by preserving native flora and creating a habitat for local fauna. No trees are cut down, and organic cultivation stimulates the presence of microflora and microfauna in the soil.
Desserto is the first organic material developed from Nopal cactus and is not only environmentally responsible but also offers a wide range of colours, thicknesses and textures capable of meeting the constantly evolving needs of different industrial sectors.
From material to production system
The brand is much more than a simple material solution: on one hand, through the control of the entire value chain – from land management to production – it transforms agricultural innovation into scalable bio-based solutions. On the other hand, it guarantees complete transparency and traceability throughout the entire supply chain, encouraging new sustainable social practices.
A further commitment is the goal of achieving carbon neutrality: across the 14 acres of land, approximately 8,100 tonnes of CO₂ are absorbed every year, while the annual emissions of the agricultural company amount to only 15.30 tonnes. Increasing nopal cultivation in areas undergoing desertification could represent a strategy to reduce the accumulation of CO₂ in the atmosphere.
As the founders explain: “As material developers, we accept the responsibility that every creative process entails. We design with full awareness of our impact, with the goal not only of reducing harm, but of concretely improving the way materials interact with the world around them. For us, sustainability is not an option: it is a fundamental principle.”
“Change cannot happen in isolation”
To foster change, it is necessary to establish collaborations, and Desserto already counts many valuable partnerships: from the most recent collaboration with Hublot for the creation of a limited-edition custom watch strap, to boxing gloves for Adidas, from a collection of cactus leather bags and accessories for Karl Lagerfeld to the interiors of Mercedes-Benz’s VISION EQXX electric concept car.
Only a few years after entering the market and proving the effectiveness of a design approach conceived for industrial systems, the material already boasts several applications demonstrating the possibility of integrating high-quality, low-impact alternatives into a large-scale production system. The greater the number of consumers who can be offered this solution, the greater the potential for spreading change.
