Traceable Leather
Up to now, there have been few possibilities to determine the origin and production method of leather more precisely. Nina Conrad's company Traceable Leather (Zurich) is committed to traceability and a transparent manufacturing process for leather.
At KoKoTé, we source our leather exclusively from Traceable Leather and can thus vouch for a sustainable and transparent supply chain with a clear conscience.
Definition: Traceable Leather means leather that is traceable back to its origin - the animal - and for which the entire manufacturing process is also transparent. Traceability
is a very important aspect of sustainability. In the leather industry, however, this has not been or is not yet common practice; the traces of the animal skins are already lost in the slaughterhouse. Traceable leather" aims to change this and set a new standard. The partner "Fairfleisch" is a medium-sized, regional slaughterhouse in southern Germany, near Lake Constance. Fairfleisch only sells meat from organically certified farmers who raise and keep animals on their farms according to strict ethical standards. Raw hides from suckler cows from the Grisons Alps or goat hides from the Emmental, Jura or Ticino are now also available.
Our leathers are tanned in southern Germany using purely vegetable tanning methods. Contrary to common belief, synthetic additives are used in the pre-tanning process, but they are ecologically harmless. The composition of the tanning mixture varies from tannery to tannery and is always a well-kept secret. Extracts of quebracho, oak and chestnut wood, tree barks of mimosa and sumac plants as well as tree fruits, for example the Valonea oak or tara pods, are used.
The tanning of the raw hides of Fairfleisch takes place in Germany for a simple reason: In Switzerland, there are no longer any tanneries that are geared to processing larger quantities and can produce leather of such quality.
Argument in favour of leather: A large part of the hides come from dairy cows. Therefore, Nina Conrad says: "As long as the consumption of dairy products and meat is part of our reality, I consider it extremely sensible to recycle the hides of the animals. The alternative would be to burn the skins. I would find that a great pity."
The most important thing in a nutshell:
- Animal husbandry appropriate to the species,
- short transport distances (<30km),
- gentle slaughtering and artisanal processing
- vegetable tanning
- a transparent manufacturing process from A to Z
- 100% traceability
