What is Vegetable Tanning?
Vegetable tanning is the process of producing leather from raw hides. This process is thousands of years old and can vary from tannery to tannery. The raw hides are placed in drums or pits with natural tannins from bark, fruit, or wood for several months. This creates a more natural-looking product than other tanning methods. The added time makes it more expensive and desirable.
Why Vegetable Tanned Leather?
All of my products are made using vegetable-tanned leather and this is a conscious choice. Vegetable tanned leather is one of the oldest forms of processing leather and also one of the most environmentally friendly. Unlike chrome-tanned leather, it does not result in the dumping of toxic chromium chemicals. Also, unlike (most) vegan leather, it is not full of plastics.
Ethically Sourced Leather
Majority of the leather I use comes from tanneries within the Genuine Italian Leather Consortium. This is a collection of tanneries who are required to uphold certain sustainability practices. They ensure that no animal is deliberately harmed for its skin. All hides are sourced as a by-product from the meat industry. If you would like to learn more about their organization, please use the link provided below.