VEGETABLE-TANNED LEATHER
Vegetable Tanning
Among the various tanning methods, vegetable tanning is the most traditional and recognizable. It imparts highly characteristic intrinsic properties to leather, determining a wide range of application and uniqueness of the product.
Vacchetta leather does not lie,
it is not afraid to be the testimony of the passage time.
The vegetable-tanning process is based on the use of tannins, the active ingredient responsible for the transformation of the animal hide into a compact and resistant material. Tanins can be found in many different trees and plants, in variable concentration according to the different species. These natural tannin extracts make vegetable-tanned leather unique and easily distinguishable.
VEGETABLE TANNING IS A PROCESS THAT DERIVES DIRECTLY FROM NATURE AND – IN FULL CIRCULARITY – TO NATURE RETURNS.
Vegetable-tanned leather embodies the experience of our life. It matures over time, a rare material that actually improves with age and use. It is precisely these changes and personalization that testify to the naturalness of the product. The innate colors of the tannins give warm tones to the leather, which tend to intensify with the passage of time and daily use.
Choosing a product made of Tuscan Vegetable-Tanned Leather means choosing a one-of-a-kind object that uniquely reflects the owner’s values and lifestyle.
No leather is exactly the same as any other, its intrinsic characteristics offer a wide range of possible interpretations in shape and design. Designers find a material capable of adding value to their project, consumers find a product which transcends fast fashion and trends, gaining value with the passing of time.
No animal is killed for its skin. On the contrary, the raw hides used by our tanneries are the discarded by-products of the food industry producing meat for human consumption which otherwise would have notable environmental impact in their disposal.
Starting with a natural and renewable material, tanned with natural tannins, a vegetable-tanned leather object can biodegrade at the end of its lifecycle, thanks to its chemical-biological characteristics.
Many of the substances used during the tanning process are recovered, recycled, and reused in different fields. Hair removed from raw hides is transformed into agricultural fertilizer; sludge produced by the depuration plants is repurposed for use as construction material.
Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather, recognizable by its trademark, does not contain any toxic substances such as azo-dyes, nickel, PCP or chrome VI, harmful not only to man but also to the environment.