Mercedes Magnolia Recycled Leather alternative to cowhides

Recycled Leather

What is recycled leather ?

It is made from discarded wet blue leather off-cuts that normally end up in the landfill.It`s unique patented process employs high pressure water jets to force the recycled leather fibers through integral recycled synthetic fibers reinforcement core in a continuous closed-looped system with 99% of water recycled.So it is a clean technology product using waste leather together with recyclable synthetic fibers to create a sustainable innovated material that delivers the look and feel of traditional leather.

How it`s made ?

Step 1: The Base Materials of ELFA leather is leather shavings and trimmings.

Step 2: Leather shavings and trimmings undergo a fiberisation process which shreds and upgrades them into fine usable fibres .

Step 3: Leather fibers are formed into two layers on both sides of a micro textile core.They are fastened with high pressure water jets rather than chemical adhesives.

Step 4： After color impergnation ,solvent free pu finish coats the leather and a release paper template gives the surface a leather effect grain.

Step 5: After final inspection and quality assurance it is ready to be rolled . On a roll the leather is more functional to use and will produce less cuttings and wastages in the further use .

Production Process

The Best Alternative To Traditional Leather ( Recycled Leather )

Traditional leather is being rivalled by manmade alternatives. The latest in this new generation is recycled leather.

Made from discarded ‘wet blue’ leather off-cuts that normally end up in landfill, recycled leather saves needless waste. Plus it’s available to cut from the roll. So Unlike leather hides there’s minimal wastage and, of course, lower material costs. Not all recycled leathers are the same…

Recycled leather comes in numerous forms. Most rely on adhesives and resins to bond the leather fibres together to form the material. However, recycled leather from ELFA leather is different. The ELFA leather patented process uses no chemicals and resins whatsoever but just water alone. With its strong eco credentials, high performance and low cutting wastage, recycled leather from ELFA leather enterprise is fast becoming the material of choice for the footwear, leather goods, upholstery and transport sectors.

Why use recycled leather as an alternative to traditional leather?

Recycled leather has all the natural benefits of traditional leather plus it is more eco-friendly, saves wastage, is lighter (for less fuel consumption), more durable, both cheaper and easier to keep clean and can be relied on for consistency of colour and texture. For Example as below :

LEATHER HIDES

1 tonne of leather….

….generates only about 255kg of finished, tanned leather…

…the remainder….¾ of the tonne is waste.

It takes approximately 4 leather hides to furnish the interior of 1 car

RECYCLED LEATHER

Trimmings and shavings (the raw material of composition leather) accounts for around 30% of a tannery’s waste.

 

 

Recycled Leather VS Traditional Leather

Recycled Leather	Traditional Leather
Less wastage,more cost effective Cut from rolls 1400mm wide.Length is long	Leather hides(at widest point): 914.4mmLength:2286mm
Resistant to cracking,tearing and puncturingIts unique core reinforment textile provides high performance,improving its quality and feel.	Can be prone to cracking ,tearing and puncturing, especially split leather
More durable – Scuff and scratch resistant thanks to an easy to keep clean pu coating.	Prone to scuffs and scratches.
Up to 50% lighter – Helping transport Companies save on fuel consumption and reduce their carbon footprint.	Weight disadvantage, particularly to transportation applications.
Uniform texture – Made from leather fibers and given an artificial pattern for a consistent Flawless finish and feel.	Inconsistent texture – Made from hides which can be looser and more stretchable in the Belly and flank areas and relatively tight Across the backbone.
Uniform shade – Made from leather fibers pigmented for a consistent flawless color.	Inconsistent Shade – Each hide is different and has a unique grain texture.This results in the dyes and finishes penetrating the grain in Varying degrees.
More flexible and easier to sew.	Can be fairly rigid limiting applications
Wipe clean with a damp cloth – No chemical cleaners or costly cleaning maintenance Needed to continually look good.	Cleaning detergents and leather restorative products needed as well as the associated time and costs.
Recycled Leather is a better value alternative to traditional leather	Leather is expensive,pricing itself out of Large-scale upholstery applications in Particular.

Why Recycled leather can be better than traditional leather？

 

Recycled leather outperforms traditional leather in several key areas.

Price

Compared with Traditional Leather hides , price is more competitive .

Environmentally friendly

Made from discarded wet blue leather off-cuts that normally end up in landfill ,together with high pressure water jets to force the natural leather fibers through an integral textile reinformancement core.It is a clean eco-friendly material ,no chemicals (no adhesives ,no resins), what`s more ,to reduce the pollution of wet blue leather hides` cuttings and trimmings to environment.

Higher Cutting Yield

More cost efficient for many applications, cut from a roll not from hides for less wastage and reduced costs ( Recycled leather is supplied in rolls resulting in only 5% cutting wastage compared to up to 40% wastage for leather hides .)

Safety Fire Proof standards

Excellent flame retardancy endorsed by British and European fire and safety standards.

Better for product consistency

Manufactured from leather fibres so unlike leather hides has no natural defects and results in minimal batch-to-batch variation for a flawless finish.

Customisable design options

Bespoke colours are available plus various grains and the ability to emboss with company or brand logos.

Significant fuel savings

Up to 50% lighter than traditional leather, recycled leather is critical in helping transport applications to lower emissions, fuel consumption and reduce their carbon footprint.

Reduces landfill costs

Less wastage reduces landfill levies

High durability

Recycled leather`s reinforced textile core enables the leather to resist tearing and gives it greater elasticity. Ideal for heavy use applications from passenger seating to handbags and wallets.

Easy care

Simply wipes clean with a dampened cloth, thereby avoiding the need for costly cleaning products and maintenance.

Protect Animals

To reduce the killing of animals ,conforming to the policy of Animal Protection Countries and Organization.

Sustainability :

We are the people behind the sustainable leather alternative.We create what people want and what the planet deserves.There is no doubt that nature`s resources are limited .Over-consumption is taking its toll on our planet.And there is an urgent need to recycle more and waste less.So that`s exactly what we do ! A significant amount of leather is unused and often destined for landfill.We reduces that problem by recycling tonnes of leather hides rather than wasting them.

Our commitment to sustainability:

To minimise our environmental footprint and ensure we`re making efficient use of the world`s scarce natural resources,we focus on three key areas.Such as Increasing recycled content,Lowering carbon emissions,reducing use of earth`s scarce resources.

Why need Recycled Leather on the planet?

With the aggravation of environment pollution on the international agenda,combined with a focus on scarce resources and protecting animals,recycled leather has entered the scene as a force for good.What`s more ,now a lot of famous brands specifically have long sought sustainable materials from recycled fabric to recycled leather,for example ,Nike used recycled fabric for shoes,named flyknit,now they are using recycled leather,named flyleather. Recycled Leather`s partner with leading brands from all of the world to help them to create extraordinary products and memorable client experiences,while improving the sustainability.

Who is ELFA Leather ?

ELFA LEATHER is located in the ancient town of Wuxi city—-Changjing, east of Xizhang Expressway, south of Huning Expressway and Shanghai Airport,the traffic is very convenient.

We mainly produce a new sustainable recycled leather alternative to traditional leather in China since 2009.It is made from discarded wet blue leather off-cuts and synthetic fibers from bottles that normally end up in the landfill .It`s unique patented process employs high pressure water jets to force the recyclable leather fibers through an integral textile reinforcement core in a continuous closd-looped system with 100% of water recycled. It is a clean technology product using sustainable natural leather fibers and synthetic fibers, to save natural resources,to lower carbon emissions and to protect our planet.

We create what people want and what the planet deserves.We are the people behind the sustainable recycled leather alternative.We are on the way of social development of recycling and reusing all materials, saving scarce water resources, lowering carbon emissions and protecting the environment.We obtain the GRS certification, fully connecting with the international market, applying the TC certificate for customers timely, in line with the foreign customer to the material traceability request. The company’s GRS series of products including recycled leather base,coated base,and finished recycled leather ( R-Leather), obtained a number of patent technical certificates, fully reflect the sweat and wisdom of production and R & D personnel.We have established a good cooperative relationship with NK, ASICS, PUMA, KAPPA, DECKERS, CAT, KUKA, CLARKS, K-Swiss, UGG, CAMPER, BALENCIAGA, ZARA, ARMANI , ect .

We never ignore the development of our empolyees in future and personal safety during the production.Every month we need to have a meeting together to summarize working plan for next month. Every season we need to do one time fire drill to strengthen our workers safety awareness.Every year we attend some exhibitions to promote our smart product recycled leather to clients.Meanwhile, it also provides more space for employees to show their talents.

In a word,we are proud of ourselves for doing some recycling products and in line with the development trend of human society.We are all working hard to protect the only planet we own. We believe that it will be better in future. Come on ! Elfa Leather !