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Benefits & sustainability of leather

For the curious

Leatherthat outlivesyou.

Why we work with hides from beef cattle, what makes it sustainable, and why a good leather piece doesn't wear out: it matures. Five years is just the beginning.

Using what already exists

Our leather comes from cattle raised for meat. Nobody raises a cow for its hide: it is a by-product of the abattoir, just like bones or fat. The hide makes up between 4 and 11% of the animal's live weight.

If nobody tans it, it ends up as waste or in landfill, where it rots and gives off gases. The industry estimates that over 100 million hides are thrown away worldwide every year, adding more than 40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.

4–11%
of a cow's weight is hide
~300 M
hides a year come from the meat industry worldwide
>100 M
are thrown away every year, according to the leather industry

The most sustainable thing is for it to last

Tanning has an environmental cost too: water, energy and chemicals. That's why, for us, sustainability comes down to something else: making pieces that last for many, many years. A wallet you use for twenty years spreads its impact over twenty years. A plastic one that peels after two makes you buy ten.

Leather is also a natural material. At the end of its life it breaks down in decades; oil-based synthetics can take centuries.

Five years is just the beginning

Well-made leather can be used for decades. Don't take our word for it: museums prove it.

Decorated leather panel from around 1700
~1700Stamped and painted leather from around 1700, over 300 years old. Cooper Hewitt museum (Smithsonian). Public domain. View on Wikimedia Commons
19th-century leather saddlebags
19th century19th-century leather saddlebags, used on horseback for years and still intact. Barratt's Chapel Museum (Delaware, USA). Photo: Phlawton, CC BY-SA 4.0. View on Wikimedia Commons

How it changes over the years

  1. Day oneLighter in tone and firm to the touch. The leather is still "new".
  2. 1–2 yearsIt darkens with light and handling, softens and shapes itself to the way you use it.
  3. 5 yearsThe patina appears: its own shine and shades no other piece has.
  4. 10 years and beyondIt has character. With a little care, it keeps improving for decades.

Look after it and it will last a lifetime

  • Nourish it with leather cream or wax once or twice a year.
  • If it gets wet, let it dry on its own, away from radiators or direct sun.
  • Store it somewhere dry where it can breathe, ideally in a cloth bag rather than plastic.
  • A loose stitch or a scuff? Message us and we'll tell you how to fix it.

Have one of our pieces with a few years on it?

Send us a photo on WhatsApp: we love seeing how it has changed.

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Sources

Figures on wasted hides come from the leather industry itself and are estimates.