About 98% of the leather and animal skin products sold in the U.S. are made in other countries. Countries like China, Pakistan, and India who don’t have robust environmental protections let alone workers’ rights laws. I’m not going to spend a lot of time retelling the stories I’ve heard. Just know that these workers are exposed to serious occupational hazards and dangerous chemicals. The legacy of that work, and the traces of those chemicals, remain in the finished leather products that are sold in this country.
Leather and hair on animal skin were the first textiles ever used by humans. People have relied on these fabrics for thousands of years to protect us from the elements. Leather is used to create shelter, clothing, containers, strapping and so much more. The natural fibers in sheepskin are known for their cushioning ability-think medical equipment use or furniture. Those fibers also buffer us from the elements by not only keeping us warm in the cold, but they also insulate us from the heat, as wool is thermoregulating. Sheepskin adds warmth and hygge around the home as a throw or as a rug. Sheepskin also makes a great lining for clothes and shoes.
The complex fiber structure in wool cannot be replicated outside of nature. Faux fur is made from synthetic materials including polyester (petroleum based) and acrylic fibers. These may be made to look similar but they lack all of the aforementioned benefits of natural fibers. Faux fur fibers, also known as microplastics, shed into our environment and end up in our soils and eventually in our waterways. Any fibers that shed from a naturally tanned sheepskin will biodegrade as they are made from macro and micronutrients found in nature.
In the beginning, humans used what they had to preserve and make these fabrics useful. They used brains, alum, and the tannins extracted from trees and other vegetation. These older methods (now modernized) are still the preferred methods for tanneries like Driftless. These methods take longer and involve more labor than the chemical alternatives. That is why a naturally tanned sheepskin costs more than the sheepskin you find in a big box store. Those mass-produced sheepskin are either made of faux fur or came from the world’s biggest exporter of real sheepskin, China, where workers don’t have rights and there is much less regard for the environment.
The sheepskin created and sold by Driftless Tannery come from the waste stream of our local animal agriculture. This type of agriculture is not going away anytime soon. Humans have become dependent on animal protein. Farmers depend on it. Entire communities’ economic systems are tied to animal agriculture. Until the whole system changes, we will continue to work to capture the waste.
Choosing to utilize the oldest form of textile is choosing to be less wasteful. Choosing natural fibers is choosing to say no to polluting microplastics. Choosing to support tanneries like ours is choosing to support the environment in which we all live and the resources we all depend on. We know it’s a choice and we are so grateful when you choose us.
Thank you, as always, for being a part of our community.
Team Driftless