THE CIRCULAR LEATHER CRAFT

The message of the project

The leather goods industry, worth $500 billion, is in urgent need for disruption. Animal leather is both unethical and processing involve heavy use of toxic chemicals, water and emissions. Synthetic alternatives come with their own set of issues arising from the use of fossil-fuels and shedding of microplastics. While some brands started to try out vegan leather alternatives (which are mostly reliant on plastics) little effort has been made to investigate more sustainable solutions for other materials used in leather making. With no end-of-life solutions other than landfilling or incineration, it's time for change.

The project aims to create a first-of-its-kind holistically circular supply chain for leather goods in the biological cycle. By combining Melina Bucher’s extensive knowledge of biobased material innovations and Dermamanum’s 20 years of experience in handcrafting high-quality leather goods, the project partners aim to reduce waste and introduce healthier, plastic-free, emission-reduced materials into the market.

The idea behind the project

The rapid shift of consumer taste and regulation towards products that live up to higher environmental and ethical standards pushed innovation in the space of leather making. While many biobased material innovations are currently under development, the adoption is rather slow due to higher cost, scalability constraints, and limited production know-how. Furthermore, the combination of different materials in manufacturing is not fully tested yet.

This project aims to combine research, design and craftsmanship to create real-life prototypes ready to change the leather goods market. The project partners will evaluate design properties, technical performance as well as suitability in processing of biobased materials and develop prototypes that maximize the chances of adoption and scalability in existing global leather supply chains.

What next?

The CIRCULAR LEATHER CRAFT project aims to develop a first prototype of holistically circular leather supply chain. To maximize our impact, we will use our knowledge to equip as many brands as possible with the necessary tools to craft circular products in the future – for a world where products harm neither animals nor our planet.