Sustainable, durable, beautiful, natural… Why choose anything else?
Leather products which are well maintained can last a lifetime and more. They can be repaired or repurposed, and when they finally reach the end, they will biodegrade naturally.
Cowhides, which most leather is made from, are by-products of the meat and dairy industries. The value of a hide in the US is typically 2-5% of the value of a cow. It is so low that 10-20 per cent of hides thrown away each year because disposal is cheaper than processing. So the very act of using leather cuts waste and is a step towards sustainability.
Not only does using leather save greenhouse gas emissions from landfill, it also reduces the production of fossil fuel-derived plastics and the emissions and pollution they generate when people replace leather with plastic and synthetic materials.
Humankind has been drying and using animal hides since prehistoric times. Archaeologists have carbon dated a leather shoe discovered in a cave in Armenia that is at least 5,500 years old.
Of course, since that shoe was made, techniques for the treatment of leather have developed, but even in ancient Egyptian times, as wall paintings and discovered artifacts show us, leather was already being used for many purposes. There were leather sandals, gloves and clothes of course, but also buckets and bottles and even burial shrouds.
The ancient Greeks are generally credited with the discovery of tanning to produce soft and durable leather. They used combinations of tree barks and leaves soaked in water to treat hides. By about 500BC tanning became a well-established trade in Greece.
Use and techniques developed separately in different civilisations across the world. The Romans and Chinese relied heavily on leather for their military equipment, using it for armour to protect their soldiers and for harnesses and saddles for horses.
Gradually, as societies developed, manufacturing expanded and the processes used to treat hides became more sophisticated. In the Middle Ages, tanners and craftsmen formed guilds to control material supply and protect their livelihoods.
It was during the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries that demand for leather soared and techniques for its production developed to cope. Tough forms of leather were needed for machinery, providing the belts that drove it. But at the same time, it became very fashionable for clothing and softer and more delicate leather was demanded. This coincided with the discovery of chrome tanning which produced leather that could be dyed more easily and was much more supple. Chrome tanning soon became the dominant technique.
Innovation is now driven more by sustainability than the need to increase production. Chrome tanning is the main technique used, and the process is becoming increasingly refined. The type of chrome used in tanning, chromium III, is an essential element that aids human metabolism. It should not be confused with chromium VI, which is not used in tanning and can be carcinogenic if inhaled.
Water that is used in the tanning process can now be cleaned, allowing chemicals to be reclaimed and often reused. Recent developments in techniques and technologies have meant that the amount of water used has reduced by 35% in the last 25 years.
Not only does leather have a long and celebrated history, it has long and sustainable future as well.
