It’s Plastic Free July! so I thought I’d challenge myself to come up with one video and blog a week explaining why leather is so superior to plastic.
Can’t lie – different materials are suited to different purposes. I wouldn’t replace my plastic water pipes with leather! But generally, for useful, adaptable, durable and practical wear, leather is streets ahead.
Here’s reason #1 why:
#1 Leather is kind to the environment
Managed animals are good for the land
Animals are a managed part of the eco system. Part of a cycle that eats plants, produces nourishing manure and increases biodiversity of plant life in their grazing areas. When managed by humans this can be even more beneficial . No farmer wants to exhaust their land, so they cycle different grazing animals and different plants.
If you’ve ever walked Bodmin Moor or Dartmoor, imagine what that would be like without the managed animals. They keep down the gorse and bracken growth and let you navigate a path!
Fact: A beef cow can produce 24-48 tonnes of high quality nutrient rich manure in it’s life. (Without the miles and processing involved in making your Baby Bio!)
Managed animals are useful in death
In death, the cow produces all these things and more:
- Meat: human and animal food
- Organs: medication, collagen, instrument and sports strings
- Skin: safety equipment, sports equipment, gelatin, upholstry, clothes, shoes,
- Bone: gelatin, sugar, filters, fertilizer, collagen, medication, airport fire extinguishers
- Hair: brushes, insulation, textiles, plaster
- Fat: soap, cosmetics, toothpste, bio fuel, antifreeze, break fluid, explosives, tyres, candles, money, asphalt,
Leather is environmentally friendly
The veg tannned leather we use is preserved using natural tanins found in plants, gall and tree barks. These techniques have been developed over thousands of years.
Once the leather is tanned it is incredibly versatile and durable. It can be made into a range of products that last for years: shoes, upholstry, safety equipment.
High quality leather, if treated with respect, can last much longer than plastic or mixed fibre products. This means it won’t end up in landfill or oceans as often. As it is a natural product, naturally preserved, it will eventually break down in a landfill; unlike many man-made materials.
Want to go plastic free? Go natural – go leather!
Did you know:
“Haven’t got a pot to piss in” came from the tanning industry? Poor people would sell their full chamber pots to the local tannery!
Eco Ravn
We believe in respecting the animal by reusing as much of the leather for as long as possible. Eco Ravn and Ravn Repairs was created to keep the ethics in animal products. We by renew, repair and revitalise your loved leather items where possible. When it’s not we and by upcycle and recycle preloved leather items when they can’t be repaired. Go plastic free! Wear Eco Ravn with pride!
In 2023 we launched “Eco Ravn”. The mission is taking and repurposing pre-loved leather products so they will be loved and useful again!
Recently I turned a thrift shop messenger bag into a set of holsters and a belt pouch.
Check out “Eco Ravn” for more details or our webshop for a range of unique repurposed genuine leather goods!
We offer a repair service where we are able: replacing bag handles, belt straps and altering motorcycle panniers to suit. Check out Ravn Repairs if you have an old treasured leather item that’s past it’s best. We just might be able to restore to service or make more useful!
