Kokkolan nahka
Elk suede from population-control hunting
From elk hides to bags
At the heart of circular economy thinking is the idea of utilising existing materials as efficiently as possible instead of creating new ones. This is where our collaboration with Kokkolan Nahka also boils down to. Kokkolan nahka is a Finnish family-owned business now operating in the third generation. They make high quality elk leather for demanding needs. Kokkolan utilises elk hides derived from population control hunting, tanning them into durable leather. Products made from real leather are long-lasting and age beautifully with the right kind of care, lasting for decades. We at Lovia use high quality materials from Kokkolan Nahka in our unique bags.
ESTABLISHED:1957
EMPLOYEES: 40
LOCATION: KOKKOLA, FINLAND
From population control hunting hides to bags
Kokkolan Nahka refines hides derived from population control hunting of elk. In Finland, elk have no natural enemies in the wild, which is why their population number is controlled and regulated by governmental authorities. This is conducted to protect the biodiversity of our forests as well as the livelihood of the elk. Excessive population growth would cause issues to other species and also would add to traffic accidents.
Kokkolan Nahka receives the hides from both Finnish and Swedish hunting clubs, sorting them out at the factory in Kokkola. Hides that are suitable for leather production are chrome-tanned to increase the durability of the material. We have made this choice because the tanning process at the Kokkola factory facility is done in a closed circle, meaning that the chrome can’t end up causing harm to people or the environment.
The chrome from the process is coagulated and delivered as solid mass to a licensed refinery, or it can be reused in production. Kokkolan Nahka is highly responsible in their chrome tanning process and to ensure the quality of production the ready tanned leather hides are tested regularly in a third-party laboratory.
Elk leather is a combination of the durability of thick leather and the modifiability of soft leather, making it perfect for our bags. We have also started using the elk suede, which is especially fit for more relaxed models within our collection.
Greetings from Kokkola
“Responsibly produced leather is an ecological choice. The elk hunted are utilised in a way that resources are not wasted. The game meat goes to the use of the hunters and we refine the leather for use instead of them ending up wasted. All hides suitable for leather production are tanned and the rest are made into dog chew toys. So we utilise 100% of the material gathered.
In all our actions we believe in resource efficiency. We utilise all energy, water and raw materials in the most efficient and ecological manner. In our machinery we invest in new technologies and challenge our own process design on the basis of continuous development. We only use green electricity and look into minimising energy consumption in all actions.”
-Juha Örnberg, CEO, Kokkolan Nahka
Always room for improvement
We are already doing some amazing things together with Kokkolan, but it is important to remember that putting less strain on our environment is a continuous development process. So, there is always room for improvement.
Together with Kokkolan we share the vision for a chrome-free future, meaning that the use of chrome would be eliminated from the tanning process. Although chrome tanning is done responsibly at Kokkola, vegetable tanning would still be the preferred option for our planet. Currently, however, there are issues with the substance utilised with vegetable-tanning, and no perfect solution is available. We would love to have an alternative to chrome used in tanning, from a renewable, locally produced substance.
There are also substantial emissions from transporting the hides, as they are sourced from all over Finland from the hunting clubs. By optimising the logistics network emissions could be further minimised. Here we seek a solution together with Kokkolan Nahka.
Kokkolan nahka
Elk suede from population-control hunting
From population control hunting hides to bags
At the heart of circular economy thinking is the idea of utilising existing materials as efficiently as possible instead of creating new ones. This is where our collaboration with Kokkolan Nahka also boils down to. Kokkolan nahka is a Finnish family-owned business now operating in the third generation. They make high quality elk leather for demanding needs. Kokkolan utilises elk hides derived from population control hunting, tanning them into durable leather. Products made from real leather are long-lasting and age beautifully with the right kind of care, lasting for decades. We at Lovia use high quality materials from Kokkolan Nahka in our unique bags.
ESTABLISHED:1957
EMPLOYEES: 40
LOCATION: KOKKOLA, FINLAND
From population control hunting hides to bags
In order to make environmentally smart choices, we need information. This is why we want to share where the hides come to Kokkolan Nahka and how they are processed.
Kokkolan Nahka refines hides derived from population control hunting of elk. In Finland, elk have no natural enemies in the wild, which is why their population number is controlled and regulated by governmental authorities. This is conducted to protect the biodiversity of our forests as well as the livelihood of the elk. Excessive population growth would cause issues to other species and also would add to traffic accidents.
Kokkolan Nahka receives the hides from both Finnish and Swedish hunting clubs, sorting them out at the factory in Kokkola. Hides that are suitable for leather production are chrome-tanned to increase the durability of the material. We have made this choice because the tanning process at the Kokkola factory facility is done in a closed circle, meaning that the chrome can’t end up causing harm to people or the environment.
The chrome from the process is coagulated and delivered as solid mass to a licensed refinery, or it can be reused in production. Kokkolan Nahka is highly responsible in their chrome tanning process and to ensure the quality of production the ready tanned leather hides are tested regularly in a third-party laboratory.
Elk leather is a combination of the durability of thick leather and the modifiability of soft leather, making it perfect for our bags. We have also started using the elk suede, which is especially fit for more relaxed models within our collection.
Greetings from Kokkola
“Responsibly produced leather is an ecological choice. The elk hunted are utilised in a way that resources are not wasted. The game meat goes to the use of the hunters and we refine the leather for use instead of them ending up wasted. All hides suitable for leather production are tanned and the rest are made into dog chew toys. So we utilise 100% of the material gathered.
In all our actions we believe in resource efficiency. We utilise all energy, water and raw materials in the most efficient and ecological manner. In our machinery we invest in new technologies and challenge our own process design on the basis of continuous development. We only use green electricity and look into minimising energy consumption in all actions.”
-Juha Örnberg, CEO, Kokkolan Nahka
Always room for improvement
We are already doing some amazing things together with Kokkolan, but it is important to remember that putting less strain on our environment is a continuous development process. So, there is always room for improvement.
Together with Kokkolan we share the vision for a chrome-free future, meaning that the use of chrome would be eliminated from the tanning process. Although chrome tanning is done responsibly at Kokkola, vegetable tanning would still be the preferred option for our planet. Currently, however, there are issues with the substance utilised with vegetable-tanning, and no perfect solution is available. We would love to have an alternative to chrome used in tanning, from a renewable, locally produced substance.
There are also substantial emissions from transporting the hides, as they are sourced from all over Finland from the hunting clubs. By optimising the logistics network emissions could be further minimised. Here we seek a solution together with Kokkolan Nahka.
