When looking at your food waste bin in your kitchen, high fashion is probably the last thing that comes to mind. But innovators across the world are turning the odds and ends we’d usually throw away into materials we can wear.

For example, the discarded bits of plants such as coconuts and pineapples can make durable faux leather. The latter makes a fabric called piña, which originated in the Philippines but can also be found in other places such as Hawaii, Brazil and Indonesia.

When you’re cooking, there are lots of bits that you chop off and get rid of, like peels, ends and wonky bits. But before you go to throw your food waste away, you may want to stop and think about what other edible treats you could make from it. There are plenty of ways you can get creative, such as by making pickles and relishes, or using peels to infuse your water.

Take coffee for example – coffee beans are actually seeds and grow inside a fruit called a coffee cherry. Traditionally these cherries would be discarded once the bean had been removed, but people are now reclaiming this once overlooked husk and using it in their cooking.

Some people and companies finding innovative ways of using waste to provide the nutrients they think our faces need. For example, you might see ground fruit stones on the ingredients list of your face mask or exfoliator as they are great at scrubbing away dirt and dead skin.