What is vegetable tanned leather?

Vegetable tanned leather is leather that has been tanned using tanning agents (tannins) that come from naturally occurring compounds in tree bark.

Vegetable tanning has been used for centuries and is considered environmentally friendly. It’s slower than other tanning processes, requiring over 30 days to turn the hides into leather, but doesn’t require the use of chemicals.

All of our products at Gusti Leather are made from vegetable tanned leather. We have chosen this process because it is less harmful to the environment, does not produce toxic waste, and produces strong, durable leather while enhancing the leather’s natural colour.

What is the vegetable tanning process at Gusti?

 At Gusti, we use vegetable pit-tanned leather. We source our vegetable-tanned leather from two main places:

- Our local tannery buys skins from local butchers
- They also receive scraps created during Eid celebrations

 This means that every piece of leather is sourced locally from nearby districts.

1. The raw hides are salted to preserve them, then sent to the tanneries.
2. The skins are desalted in drums to remove the salt used to preserve them.
3. The skins are washed with a solution of lime, sulfur sulfate, and enzymes to remove any hair during the liming process.
4. Excess flesh is removed from the wet skin using a fleshing machine.
5. The skins are now ready for the pickling process.
6. The skin is taken back to the tannery where the tanners wet the skins and start layering them in a pit.
7. The skins are layered on top of one another with tree bark scattered between each skin. 8. Then water is added to the pit.
8. The tree bark, also known as the tannin, releases the tanning agent which is absorbed by the skin. At Gusti, we use tree bark from the Babul tree and the Aaval tree and avoid using chemicals.
9. Once all of the tanning agent has been released, the skins are moved to another dry pit and the process is repeated.
10. The entire process is repeated for 25 to 35 days and is complete once the skin is tanned and has returned to its original shape. This process is known as pit tanned vegetable leather tanning.
11. The excess fat is then removed from the skin by hand.
12. Castor oil is applied to the skin and it is hung up to dry.
13.Once dry, any stiffness is removed from the skin using a knife.

The skin is then ready to be used. 

14. It is washed once more, dried in the sun, then turned into bags.

This process results in 100% vegetable pit-tanned goatskin leather.

 When creating our vegetable-tanned leather, we adhere to the following norms:

- Our Gusti Leder nature products are 100% vegetable tanned leather.
- Our Gusti Leder studio products contain less than 3000mg chrome per kilogram of leather + one of the tanning processes the skins go through has to be vegetable tanning.

How do we ensure that the norms are followed?

We regularly test our leather products, you can see which products have been tested on our product pages. 

If we find that any 3 chrome-free products have a chrome content of more than 1000mg, we issue a fine that’s equivalent to 40% of the shipment value.

Is vegetable-tanned leather better for the environment?

Vegetable tanning is considered to be the benchmark in the leather industry as it creates less pollution.

Advantages:

Environmentally friendly: The vegetable tanning process uses purely organic material, like tannins from tree bark and does not produce toxic waste. 

Biodegradability: Vegetable-tanned leather is highly biodegradable and will decompose gradually without harming the environment.

Unique look and colour: Vegetable tanning produces strong and durable leather. The leather’s natural colour enhances its authentic vibe. 

Sustainability: The vegetable tanning technique supports sustainable practices and doesn’t use chemical substances that can have an adverse effect the environment. 

Health benefits: Vegetable-tanned leather is not treated with harmful chemicals such as chromium, so it won’t cause any kind of allergic reaction or irritation to your skin when you’re in contact with it.

Vegetable tanning is a more sustainable way of tanning leather when compared to other types of tanning, like chrome tanning.

Using this tanning process helps us avoid using chemicals to create high-quality, long-lasting leather. Vegetable tanning enhances the leather’s durability and look while maintaining its breathability and comfort.

Be part of the slow fashion movement, make more conscious choices and check out our vegetable-tanned leather bags and accessories.