SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN AND EXAMPLES OF LEATHER MATERIAL RECYCLING

Abstract

Many garments made of leather, end up in landfills as waste following the end of its useful life. However, in the flow of production of a leather product, intense energy, chemicals, high volumes of water are consumed. This means that the carbon footprint and environmental loads are high. There are many research activities related to the recycling of textile products, and recycling chains, in this regard famous clothing brands have been organizing grand campaigns. In order to assess the case for leather products that have an important place in the ready-to-wear segment, one should ask the following questions: “How do the big companies and brands in this sector participate in the environmental movement? And importantly, what are the best attempts to recycle leather products? What can be done about the future of leather products recycling and innovative sustainable designs?” when considering sustainable design using recycled leather from end-of-life leather products. In this study, examples of innovative best practices, which were adopted by new brands for recycling and reuse of various types of waste, in order to perform a sustainable product design were presented with the attempt of clarifying aforementioned questions. These new initiatives and practices can develop a novel perspective for academicians and professionals engaged in the field of leather and fashion design, and the concept of sustainable design can be introduced to wider masses.

Keywords

• leather materials recycling
• sustainable design
• innovative design
• fashion design