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In this blog post, we want to introduce you to the innovative teak material that we use for the production of our vegan leather material and our LEAF collection.
It is astonishing that the means and raw materials that contribute seriously to reducing animal suffering and pollution on our planet have been ready for the market for a number of years, but we as a society have not yet managed to grow with the times and develop a healthy awareness of sustainable (leather-) alternatives. But that will now change with this!
- Leather is not a natural material! Because a natural material – as the name already says – is a material that can be used for processing into a product without outside influence. At least we have never seen an animal voluntarily give up its own skin.
- So if leather is not a natural material, what is it? The answer is quite simple: leather is chemically treated animal skin! A composition of different chemicals is used to make the leather durable and supple. This process is called “tanning”. Unfortunately, it is also a fact that some of these chemicals can be carcinogenic and pollute our environment.
- Leather is not a waste product of the German meat industry! Far too often we still hear that the animals would be slaughtered for the meat industry anyway. Wrong! Most of the leather products you can buy in Germany, even those that are “Made in Germany”, are leather products that originate in countries like Bangladesh, China, India or Vietnam. “Made in Germany” simply means that the individual leather hides were assembled into a final product somewhere within the Federal Republic.
- Even the leather that is “110%” produced in Germany is often linked to animals that have been bred in a short and torturous life to be killed as quickly as possible for their skin! Or have you ever heard of Germany’s animal-friendly leather industry?
All right, now we know why it is time to rethink and collectively raise awareness about alternatives and mindfulness in product choice within our society. And this is exactly where the leaves of the teak tree now come into the limelight, because the leaves of the teak tree are ideally suited to replace animal leather in many areas. Why?
Teak leather (also called leaf leather) is known for its high resilience and durability, as pressed teak leaves can be tougher than many a leather cloth. In addition, the pressed and sealed leaf leather is just as water-repellent as conventional animal leather. This would put leaf leather on a par with animal leather products. If you now also consider that teak leather is vegan and produced in an environmentally friendly way, it quickly becomes clear why we can no longer grant animal leather the right to exist!
Now there is one question left: “How elaborate is the production of leaf leather?” The answer is: “Very simple – namely in just four steps.”
- One collects the teak leaves that have fallen in the natural cycle, because cutting down trees for production would be absolutely no relief for our earth.
- The collected leaves of the teak tree are soaked in order to colour them later with ecological dyes.
- The coloured leaves are pressed and dried. Now you already have robust and water-repellent leaf leather material.
- In the last step, the individual leaf leather flaps are sewn together to form the desired end product.
Our LEAF collection (link to product catalogue) provides the proof!
We hope we have been able to broaden your horizons with this blog post and would be very happy to have your company and support on our path to a sustainable future. We hope we have been able to broaden your horizons with this blog post and would be very happy to have your company and support on our path to a sustainable future. There, six more innovative leather materials are just waiting to finally be discovered.
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