Does Sustainable Leather Exist?
Leather is a material that is both ancient and beloved but in today’s world, it is also stricken with controversy and linked to environmental hazards and animal welfare violations. Together with Nina Conrad, a passionate grassroots advocate and consultant for traceable leather and localised production, we look at what a responsible leather production entails and how she works to bring change to the industry.
Words by Dörte de Jesus, photos by Angelika Annen
Nina Conrad is the foundress of the Zurich-based consultancy Traceable Leather that advises companies on their production and manufacturing processes, and helps them build up and manage transparent, ethical and local supply chains for leather. In addition, her consultancy is a founding partner of the Sustainable Leather Foundation, and she is also the co-founder of the Fibershed affiliate DACH (for Switzerland, Southern Germany and Western Austria).
In the past year and a half, I had the pleasure to work with Nina on the creation of a traceable leather goods brand called MARAI, and witness her expertise and dedication first hand. By building a localised and fully traceable supply chain with the hides, natural tanning and manufacture all located within a 150 km radius in Switzerland and Southern Germany, she sets a new standard and raises the bar for how a responsible leather production can look like. The collection of bags utilises currently unused goat hides from the food industry (originating from small organic farms in the Swiss Alps) that would otherwise go to waste and be burned.
As part of the project, we developed a product together, as a collaboration between The Lissome and MARAI. It is now available in our online shop.
Dörte de Jesus: Could you tell us a bit about your background? How did you become a sustainability consultant in the textile industry, and what made you specialize in creating ethical and localized supply chains for leather?
Nina Conrad: I studied political science and Islamic studies, and I wanted to work in peace studies or development aid. I was always keen to get to the root of the problem of any kind – be it conflicts or structural economic issues. Unfortunately, as I became a mother at an early age, I could not do either. But that did not stop me from getting active in Zurich. I started my first project in 2014, which was a public-private partnership with a Swiss development aid organisation. They supported women in the South of Kyrgyzstan in knitting, and I worked with these women. They knitted children’s clothes from merino wool, which I sold here in Switzerland. It was a wonderful project, and I realised that I could have an impact. At the same time, I accompanied two colleagues, who were in the process of producing traceable cashmere wool from Kyrgyzstan, and I learned a lot. But the distance and the long journeys made the work difficult for me.
I was intrigued by the idea of developing a material of animal origin with animal welfare at its core, and started to work on this project together with a friend. We believed that it had to be possible to produce leather in a traceable way and to ensure that the animals had a good life. There had already been several traceability projects in the textile industry but in the leather industry, we were breaking new ground. We initiated our project and brand based on a local and traceable leather supply chain in 2015.
Leather as a material has fascinated me from the beginning and it has grown into a passion that continues to this day. I have built up various supply chains in Germany and Switzerland, taken further training courses, and supported a wide range of projects. I have learned a lot in the last few years – about agriculture, the dairy and meat industry, the hide trade, tanning, processing and manufacturing. I am eager to share this knowledge, especially with smaller brands that often do not have the resources to acquire it themselves.
Goats at a small farm in the Swiss Pre-Alps.
With “Traceable Leather”, I show and promote my work – it primarily involves the establishment of local, traceable supply chains for leather from cattle, goats, sheep and deer, the sale of leather and consulting. Traceability and transparency are at the core for me: I want to know which animals the leather I produce is from, I want to ensure they had a good life. I only process hides from animals that have lived on small Swiss and German farms and were fed exclusively on grass. The type of farming is key for me. As the saying goes: “It’s not the cow, it’s the how.” If animals are taken into account properly in agriculture, they contribute to the regeneration of our soils. They store more CO2 in the soil than they cause.
Bringing traceability back to the farm level is still a very new approach in the leather industry. Most brands focus on traceability back to the tanneries, but the sourcing of the hides remains a black box. I want to change that and add value.
Dörte: You advise companies on their production and manufacturing processes and co-own the leather bag label Leit+Held. Which kind of suppliers do you work with for leather and what are your criteria when you source suppliers for your different projects?
Nina: My work is diverse, and I have studied all the steps involved in leather production in depth. As already mentioned, leather has its origins on farms. Even if animals are not kept for the production of leather, it is still very important to me to have a connection to their origin. Regenerative agriculture is a very interesting and sustainable approach to how animals can make a positive contribution to our climate. Since this approach is not yet widespread in our region, I am currently focusing on organic and biodynamic farms and small farms in the Pre-Alps.
Regional, small abattoirs are my key partners: The hides belong to them. Since the hides have to be preserved very quickly, I depend on their goodwill. Preserving a hide is not difficult, but it is time-consuming and it needs space. I instruct the abattoirs on the preservation of the hides so that we only have to drive and collect the hides once every few months.
Traditional tannery in Southern Germany.
I work primarily with German tanneries. It is especially important to me that I am close to them and that they are open to showing me their processes. Sight is more important to me than any certificate. That is not a matter of course. In Italy, in particular, I have experienced that the tanneries were not very open to working with me, to give me all the information I wanted about production – and to change their processes. It is unusual for them that suddenly someone brings along their own hides.
I follow the same approach with the manufactories. I work exclusively with small local businesses: from the saddler to the social integration workshop to the traditional family business. Depending on the product and the edition, I choose to work with a different partner.
Dörte: Could you tell me about how your collaboration with MARAI came into being, and the purpose behind the project?
Nina: In autumn 2019, the company Neuenschwander from the Swiss Emmental approached me. They are a trader and especially a tanner of hides with a tradition extending back over 150 years, and they also run a large shop with leather goods. They told me that tens of thousands of goat and sheepskins from the food industry are burnt in Switzerland every year, as there is no demand for them anymore. However, some hides still find their way to their warehouse, where they are preserved and stored. But European tanneries prefer to buy their hides in the Far East – it is cheaper, despite the long transport. As a result, their warehouse is bursting at the seams. If no buyers are found for the hides soon, they too will have to be burned.
The warehouse of the traditional Swiss hide trader Neuenschwander is bursting at the seams with unutilised hides.
I was shocked by this wasteful development. In a world where resources are becoming increasingly scarce, it is precisely these natural and circular materials that we need to use – instead of burning them. It is why we brought MARAI into being. We process the hides locally using natural tanning agents to create beautiful leather that will last for decades. In small manufactories, this leather is then used to produce timeless, high-quality products. We plan to add further collections and other articles like jackets, shoes, and more. Hence, MARAI is more than a new line of bags. With MARAI, we want to tell this story. We also want to show the connection between food and fashion, and between agriculture and fashion. I am sure that if people understand the origin of leather, how leather is made, and what we can produce locally with waste products from the food production, we will create awareness for a more mindful way of consumption.
Dörte: Why do you believe it is important at this moment in time to move towards localized supply chains?
Nina: Oh, I would need several pages to answer this question! On the one hand, we urgently need to reduce our CO2 emissions. This can only be done if we produce and consume locally. The fact that products from faraway countries seem so cheap is a fallacy, as oil is still heavily subsidised. We have so many resources that grow – or would grow – in front of our doorsteps, and we don’t use them. We don’t use them because it is still cheaper to ship resources from the global South around the world and sell them here. In small Switzerland alone, thousands of sheep and goat hides are burnt every year – because it is cheaper for tanneries in our neighbouring countries to import them from India.
Locally produced goods cost more – or rather they cost what it costs to produce these goods. We have lost touch with the price of a product and its true value. People are no longer aware of how many people it needs to produce a leather bag, for example. I am sure that if we knew the story behind a product, who designed it, who owned the animal, who tanned the hide, and who sewed the bag, we will value it more. We will take care of it, look after it and repair it, pass it on instead of throwing it away. Hence we will consume less, produce less, and thus use fewer resources. And that’s key.
Traditional leather manufactory in Southern Germany.
Dörte: What is the difference between chrome-tanned leather and vegetable-tanned leather?
Nina: The difference lies in the tanning agents used in the tanning process. Leather gets very different properties depending on the tanning agents. In chrome tanning, chrome III is used, a heavy metal which – if handled correctly – is unproblematic. The resulting leather has great properties, which is why chrome tanning is very common. Today, about 85% of all leather is tanned with chrome. The resulting leather is soft, flexible, has a good stretch and a good grain crack. It is heat-resistant and resistant to light, which means that the colour will not change over time. However, chrome tanning has come into disrepute because of improper handling, especially in the Far East. It can oxidise to chromium VI, which is highly toxic and carcinogenic.
Vegetable tanning accounts for a relatively small share in comparison. Today, only about 10% of all leather is vegetable tanned. It is one of the oldest tanning methods and dates back over 5000 years ago. The tanning is done with vegetable extracts from bark, wood, leaves, and fruits – all of which are renewable raw materials. The leather gets a brown “tan” colour, depending on the tanning mixture, and becomes darker and softer over time. It has a very good quality, and its properties – great embossing properties, firmness, full – are central to some applications. And it has this great aroma that people love! It is surely perceived as a more natural and organic leather.
There are various other mineral and synthetic tanning agents that are also very common and used in tanning. Most tanning is a mixture of chrome with synthetic or vegetable tanning agents to give the leather specific properties. I need to add that leather production consists of roughly 16 steps, and pre-tanning is the most chemical- and water-intensive part of the whole process. It is therefore extremely important to look at all the processes of a tannery. Vegetable tanning should not be equated with responsible production. It only means that the actual tanning, this one step in leather production, was done with vegetable tanning agents and not with mineral or synthetic ones.
MARAI Hip Bag and Phone Bag, both made from fully traceable leather.
Dörte: What are your thoughts on vegan alternatives?
Nina: I have an ambivalent relationship with vegan leather substitutes. On the one hand, I think it’s great that people are looking for biodegradable, plant-based alternatives to leather. However, all leather substitutes on the market today are made of polyurethane or polyester to some extent, and are therefore not an improvement – on the contrary. Leather does not require petroleum.
In addition, the quality of these substitutes does not match that of real leather. This was shown in a broad study by the independent testing institute FILK, which was published in the summer of 2021. It gave leather substitutes worse marks across the board, from tear resistance to abrasion resistance, breathability, and biodegradability. Apart from the fact that leather is more beautiful in its look and feel, the question arises: Why should I choose an alternative material that performs worse, looks less attractive, breaks down more quickly, and is also partly made of plastic?
I would understand trying to replace it on the assumption that animals are slaughtered for leather production. But this is not the case – I’m not talking about any exotic animals here, and certainly not about any farmed fur, which should be banned. But I honestly don’t understand why so many people think this. Who would keep and feed all these animals? Where would they be? What would happen to all that meat? The fact is: We eat meat and dairy products – too much in the global North, no question. But as long as we consume meat and dairy products, it only makes sense to use the whole animal and not just the 35% that we eat. And thus also to process the hides into the leather that will last a long time. Already today, a lot of hides are burned because there is no demand for them. At the same time, new resources have to be used or produced for vegan leather substitutes. My recommendation: Think holistically and use locally and transparently produced leather instead of vegan substitutes.
Dörte: Which important lessons do you think the fashion industry will need to learn when it comes to supply chain management? Are there any positive developments that you have witnessed in recent years?
Nina: The fashion industry still has many lessons to learn. In terms of supply chains, it seems most urgent to me that they become more local and transparent. Supply chains span the globe, and products travel thousands of kilometers before they reach our closets. Producing locally is possible – we used to produce everything locally. Of course, this makes products more expensive again – but they have to be! We have lost the connection to the value of a product, the connection to a product in general. I think if we produce locally and communicate the story behind a product transparently and honestly, people’s eyes will be opened.