What is tanning?
There is a wide range of advantages to vegetable tanning, but first of all… what is tanning?
Tanning is the mandatory step that transforms hides into leather. Tannins are used to color the hides and help make them rot-proof and resistant.
Vegetable tanning vs. chemical tanning
The most common tanning technique used in the world today is chemical tanning (with chromium and aluminum salts) as it is much cheaper, simpler and quicker than vegetable tanning. 85% of all tanned hides worldwide are treated with chromium or aluminum salts. These chemicals produce a great deal of pollution and can also trigger allergies in humans as well as in our four-legged friends.
Vegetable tanning is not a new practice, but rather a very old and natural method in which plants are used as they naturally contain tannins. Our ancestors let their animal skins soak for several months in baths filled with plants. Today, this practice is a much more ecological alternative to dying leather than the traditional chemical tanning process. Non-toxic, vegetable tanning is 100% biodegradable and uses a majority of natural ingredients such as bark, berries, nuts and plants, as opposed to conventional tanning which is petrochemical and synthetic in origin. The use of vegetable tannins has a low impact on the environment and also makes leather recyclable. It contains no harmful toxic substances and is therefore not allergenic.
An aesthetic and ethical choice
As you can see, vegetable tanning has many advantages. First of all, it is healthier for the people who tan hides as well as for the users, pet owners and the animals themselves. No chemical products are used, and it is undeniably healthier for our planet and the environment. It is the absolute first choice for MAURICE products, given its innocuous and hypoallergenic qualities.
Our pet accessories made from vegetable-tanned leather have the advantage of aging naturally and developing a beautiful patina over the years. Environmentally friendly, they may also be recycled.
Vegetable tanning creates extremely solid leather that holds up well over the long term. This process ensures more authentic and sturdier leather, while making each product fully unique. The leather chosen by MAURICE comes from recycled food waste and upcycled leather from major fashion houses in France and Western Europe. Although we prefer vegetable-tanned leather, we also use premium mineral-tanned leather, which meets European standards, thanks to its very low and regulated percentage of chromium (REACH standards).
Our leather accessories for chic dogs and cats
Our luxury leather goods for dogs and cats include collars and leashes made from 100% vegetable-tanned leather as well as combined leather (mineral exterior/vegetable interior lining). Nonetheless, the leather that is always in contact with your pet’s skin is 100% vegetable-tanned. Our CANIS LUPUS leather dog collar and our PANTHERA TIGRIS leather cat collar are made from 100% vegetable-tanned leather. Our DUGONG DUGON and RHINOCEROS SONDAICUS leather dog leashes are also made from 100% vegetable tanned leather.
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