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- Oct 17, 2015
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Interesting, I was curious why chrome tanned was banned. I'm not familiar with it.
Pros with vegetable tanned leather:
• Vegetable tanned leather, using only natural tannins, has no negative environmental impact.
• The tanning method is ancient and requires skilled craftsmen, making vegetable tanned leather products more prestigious.
• Due to the careful tanning process and the natural tannins, vegetable tanned leather develops a rich and beautiful patina, and actually gets better with time and use. It doesn’t crack or dry out and thus has a very long lifespan.
• It has an earthy and natural tone and smell.
Cons:
• Vegetable tanned leather is initially a bit stiff and has to be broken in to become fully flexible and functional.
• The colors from vegetable tanning are not as livid as in chrome tanning and darken over time.
• Vegetable tanned leather takes 30-60 days to produce, making the products generally more expensive.
Pros with chrome tanned leather:
• Chrome tanning is quick and cheap and can be easily automated and achieved in one single day. Chrome tanned products are thus cheaper and more abundant than vegetable tanned leather products.
• The colors of the leather remain unchanged during the product’s entire lifespan.
• It is thinner and softer than vegetable tanned leather.
Cons:
• The process of chrome tanning creates toxic wastewater that has detrimental environmental impact, (especially in the third world).
• Chrome tanned products neither wears well nor lasts very long and can crack after a few months of use.
• Chrome tanned products doesn’t appear very natural and often carries a chemical smell.
Final verdict
While vegetable tanned leather does take longer to produce, in a process requiring the care of skilled craftsmen, making for a more expensive product, the tradition and handmade process adds to the richness and the exclusivity of vegetable tanned leather, in stark contrast to the mass produced chrome tanned leather. It also adds to vegetable tanned leather products impressive ageing and longevity, whereas the chrome tanned products will wear badly and crack sooner rather than later
Pros with vegetable tanned leather:
• Vegetable tanned leather, using only natural tannins, has no negative environmental impact.
• The tanning method is ancient and requires skilled craftsmen, making vegetable tanned leather products more prestigious.
• Due to the careful tanning process and the natural tannins, vegetable tanned leather develops a rich and beautiful patina, and actually gets better with time and use. It doesn’t crack or dry out and thus has a very long lifespan.
• It has an earthy and natural tone and smell.
Cons:
• Vegetable tanned leather is initially a bit stiff and has to be broken in to become fully flexible and functional.
• The colors from vegetable tanning are not as livid as in chrome tanning and darken over time.
• Vegetable tanned leather takes 30-60 days to produce, making the products generally more expensive.
Pros with chrome tanned leather:
• Chrome tanning is quick and cheap and can be easily automated and achieved in one single day. Chrome tanned products are thus cheaper and more abundant than vegetable tanned leather products.
• The colors of the leather remain unchanged during the product’s entire lifespan.
• It is thinner and softer than vegetable tanned leather.
Cons:
• The process of chrome tanning creates toxic wastewater that has detrimental environmental impact, (especially in the third world).
• Chrome tanned products neither wears well nor lasts very long and can crack after a few months of use.
• Chrome tanned products doesn’t appear very natural and often carries a chemical smell.
Final verdict
While vegetable tanned leather does take longer to produce, in a process requiring the care of skilled craftsmen, making for a more expensive product, the tradition and handmade process adds to the richness and the exclusivity of vegetable tanned leather, in stark contrast to the mass produced chrome tanned leather. It also adds to vegetable tanned leather products impressive ageing and longevity, whereas the chrome tanned products will wear badly and crack sooner rather than later
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