Sustainability At LOCTOTE®: Our New Eco-Friendly Leathers

Did you know that it takes an average of 38 m3 of water per tonne of hide to create leather? Or that the tanning process which makes it soft and easily moulded sometimes involves strong chemicals that can be harmful to both the environment and the workers? What if we told you that there is a better way, and LOCTOTE is proudly striving for the best when it comes to using Eco-Friendly leathers in our bags.

In a world where the ramifications of human consumption are becoming ever more prominent, the time is now to do whatever we can to create sustainable, traceable and durable products to minimize our impact on this planet. Our new eco leathers are just one example of our continuing commitment to become a better company.

So how can we do this you ask? By focusing on using the highest quality, ethically sourced and environmentally friendly materials possible, that’s how. Let’s take a closer look at the eco-friendly leathers featured in our new Mobility Collection.


new eco-friendly leathers at LOCTOTE

Highest Quality Leather - Bags Built to Last

Our new leather consists of full and top grain leather - the strongest and most durable type of leather you can get. As opposed to lower grain leathers, full-grain leather comes from the toughest part of the skin and is not sanded or buffed, meaning the leathers’ fibres remain intact giving it much more longevity.

Tougher leather = a longer product life = less frequent replacements.

There’s no two way’s around it - buying products like our Mobility Collection with the highest quality leather is an investment. But bear in mind that one LOCTOTE backpack could last you a lifetime! Think about your grandparents’ awesome leather coats that might even still be sitting in your closet to this day. Creating products that are built to last not only drastically reduces the number of resources used in the manufacturing process, it also reduces the burden on your wallet.


green leather working

LWG GOLD Rated Factories - The Most Eco-Friendly Production Practices

What on earth is a LWG rating you may ask and why is it significant? Well, although leather working is one of the oldest professions in the world, it wasn’t until 2005 when a group was formed to examine the environmental impacts of leather production.

Over the years as the tanning got quicker, the process began to have a bigger impact on the environment. The Leather Working Group was formed by a range of different professionals involved in various aspects of the leather industry and aims to provide an industry standard for the environmental aspects of leather production.

In conjunction with NGOs like WWF and Greenpeace, the Leather Working Group created a points-based award system that grades manufacturers on all aspects of their production to determine how eco-friendly their products are and suggest improvements to help them to create more sustainable practices. Although there are around 600 factors considered in the audit, some of the key elements include the factory’s environmental efficiency and waste management, the traceability of the leather, energy and water consumption as well as worker safety and emissions.

The Gold rating is the highest score a manufacturer can achieve and we are extremely pleased to be able to partner with all Gold rated factories for our new leather.


environmentally friendly leather goods

LITE Manufacturing - Actionable Strategies to Reduce the Impact on the Environment

LITE stands for Low Impact to The Environment and is a concept that helps to minimize the impact on the planet as a result of leather production. LITE strategies are implemented by all of our new manufacturing facilities to make sure you know exactly where your leather is coming from, how it is processed and its minimal impact on the environment. It’s because of these practices that the factories can achieve the LWG Gold rating!

Several factors make up LITE manufacturing but here is a brief breakdown of the key points:

Traceability - Knowing exactly which farm the hide comes from helps us know that the animals have been humanely raised without antibiotics or added hormones. Additionally, the hides are a result of the byproduct from animals bred for consumption, meaning there is minimal waste.

Green Power - Our manufacturers use solar panels and wind turbines to generate their own clean electricity to power the facilities.

Energy Saving - Walls are constructed from bamboo to increase ventilation whilst electric lights have been replaced by clear panels to allow the sun to naturally light the buildings reducing the amount of energy required to run the factory.

Water Reduction - Rainwater is collected in a lagoon and naturally purified by the wetlands to be used in the manufacturing procedures.

Restricted Substance List - The strict management of an ever-evolving list eliminates the use of chemicals that are known to be harmful to the environment.

All of these efforts (and more) come together in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint involved in creating the bags used in our Mobility Collection. The LITE manufacturing process is so advanced that each machine carefully monitors its own consumption of water, electricity and chemicals.

By using LITE manufacturers we are able to save 2.72 US gallons of water and 94.21 hours of electric lights per passport case and even 0.62 US gallons and 21.46 light hours with something as small as a camera wrist strap! How amazing is that!

We know that nobody (or no business) is perfect, but at LOCTOTE we are committed to being the best that we can be and are continually striving to walk the path towards a better future. Creating our new bags using the highest quality eco leathers around is just one of the steps we are taking to focus on sustainability, and we invite you to do the same by purchasing products that are ethically manufactured and built to last.