We frequently have heated discussions at Vaskala about the material that we are using for the bags. Some of the thoughts we wanted to finally lay on paper, not to prove anything, but to open a discussion further. So join in!
We care for the Earth and for our wellbeing and we are continiously talking whether natural leather is a way to go for the earth-conscious company that we are.
Some pluses of using natural leather:
It's a by-product
The cows are not being killed specifically to make a bag, the leather is a by-product of a meat industry, which does not make it ethical at all, BUT the meat is already being consumed and the leather, if not used, is just thrown away or burried.
Now if you imagine how much leather is produced by the meat industry ... It's a lot of landfill to fill! So instead of filling this land with material, we are using it.
Natural leather is flexible and very durable
As you wear it, with time, it only becomes more beautiful. As natural 'wear and tear' signs appear on the garnment, you grow fond of it more, it becomes a sign of travels well travelled. Some natural leather bags even from the 70s today still look good and tell a story that you want to be a part of.
It's easily repaired
You can tan it, cut it, reuse it as much as you want! We offer a pretty brilliant service where you can repair your old Vaskala bag to look as good as new! I know, we are great like that...
It's compostable
And at the end of it's life, if you don't wish to re-use this material, then natural leather will decompose! Inside of a bag there is also some cardboard (to keep the structure of the bag), which will also decompose. The only part that would not decompose are the metal parts and the inner lining of the bag. So we do suggest that you think thoroughly about the end of life of your purchase. If you don't know what to do with your old Vaskala bag, please let us know and we will help you!
While we love for our industry to be completely cruilty free, we recognise that at this moment in time this is our (maybe not your, but our) best option when we are talking about environment / quality / price ratio. We like to deliver goods that would be of the finest quality, would serve you for many years and ideally decompose in peace at the end of it!
We are looking for different ideas constatly and would love to hear your suggestions on how we can make our production even better for the planet.