Moose suede, Kokkola Leather
From deer suede to bags
Kokkola leather
Deer suede
Elk hunting surplus from Kokkola
At the heart of the circular economy is the idea of utilizing existing materials efficiently, rather than constantly creating new ones. This idea is also reflected in our collaboration with Kokkola Leather. Kokkola Leather is a Finnish, third-generation family business that manufactures high-quality leather for demanding needs. Kokkola Leather utilizes hides from managed elk hunting and further processes them into sustainable leather for the fashion industry. Products made from genuine leather are long-lasting, and with good care, the leather ages beautifully and lasts from generation to generation. At Lovia, we utilize Kokkola Leather materials in our bags.
FOUNDED: 1957
EMPLOYEES: 40
LOCATION: KOKKOLA, FINLAND
From high-quality moose suede to bags
Kokkola Leather further processes hides from managed elk hunting. Elk have no natural enemies in Finland, so the population is regulated by the authorities. Population management is carried out to ensure the continuity and vitality of the species, as an overgrowth of the population would cause challenges for other species, among other things, and would increase traffic accidents.
Kokkola Leather receives hides from Finnish and Swedish hunting clubs. Hides suitable for leather production are tanned for further use, making the material more durable. The elk leather used in Lovia bags is chrome-tanned. We have come to this solution because tanning at the Kokkola factory takes place in a closed loop, so that the chrome does not harm the environment or people. The chrome produced during tanning is precipitated and delivered as a solid mass to a licensed further refinery or reused in production. Kokkola Leather takes a responsible approach to the chrome-tanning process. Lovia has been collaborating with Kokkola Leather for years. In addition to elk leather, we have also used elk suede leather as the material for the bags, which is particularly suitable for more casual bag models. Elk suede leather combines the durability of thick leather with the workability of soft suede, which makes it a perfect raw material for bags.
Greetings from the Kokkola factory
We want to give our partners a chance to have their voices heard, because without them the idea of utilizing waste material would just remain, well, an idea. Here are some greetings from Kokkola Leather and snippets of the team's everyday life, just as it appears at the factory in Kokkola.
"The moose that are killed are utilized as best as possible. The game meat goes to the hunters' own use and we further process the leather for further use, and the skins are not left unused in the forest. Hides suitable for leather production are tanned and the remaining skins are used to make dog chews. So we utilize the raw material 100%.
We believe in resource efficiency in all our operations. We use energy, water and raw materials in our production as efficiently and ecologically as possible. We invest in new technology in our machinery and challenge our production planning with the principles of continuous development. We use only green electricity in our production and pay attention to minimizing energy consumption in all our operations."
- Juha Örnberg, CEO, Kokkola Leather
We do a lot of good, but we are not perfect.
We are already doing good things with Kokkola Leather, but reducing our environmental impact requires continuous self-development and reviewing our joint operations. So there is still room for improvement.
Together with Kokkola Leather, we want to find new tanning methods that take better account of the origin of tanning agents and their environmental impacts in production. However, there are challenges with the currently used vegetable tanning agents, and there is no perfect solution. Our goal is to have an alternative to chrome tanning made from renewable materials and produced locally.
Transporting leather also generates significant emissions, as hides are sourced from hunting clubs located all over Finland. This is a clear area for development, and our goal is to find a lower-emission solution in the future together with Kokkola Leather, for example by using vehicles that use renewable fuels for transport.
Kokkola leather
Deer suede
Elk hunting surplus from Kokkola
At the heart of the circular economy is the idea of utilizing existing materials efficiently, rather than constantly creating new ones. This idea is also reflected in our collaboration with Kokkola Leather. Kokkola Leather is a Finnish, third-generation family business that manufactures high-quality leather for demanding needs. Kokkola Leather utilizes hides from managed elk hunting and further processes them into sustainable leather for the fashion industry. Products made from genuine leather are long-lasting, and with good care, the leather ages beautifully and lasts from generation to generation. At Lovia, we utilize Kokkola Leather materials in our bags.
FOUNDED: 1957
EMPLOYEES: 40
LOCATION: KOKKOLA, FINLAND
From high-quality moose suede to bags
Kokkola Leather further processes hides from managed elk hunting. Elk have no natural enemies in Finland, so the population is regulated by the authorities. Population management is carried out to ensure the continuity and vitality of the species, as an overgrowth of the population would cause challenges for other species, among other things, and would increase traffic accidents.
Kokkola Leather receives hides from Finnish and Swedish hunting clubs. Hides suitable for leather production are tanned for further use, making the material more durable. The elk leather used in Lovia bags is chrome-tanned. We have come to this solution because tanning at the Kokkola factory takes place in a closed loop, so that the chrome does not harm the environment or people. The chrome produced during tanning is precipitated and delivered as a solid mass to a licensed further refinery or reused in production. Kokkola Leather takes a responsible approach to the chrome-tanning process. Lovia has been collaborating with Kokkola Leather for years. In addition to elk leather, we have also used elk suede leather as the material for the bags, which is particularly suitable for more casual bag models. Elk suede leather combines the durability of thick leather with the workability of soft suede, which makes it a perfect raw material for bags.
Greetings from the Kokkola factory
We want to give our partners a chance to have their voices heard, because without them the idea of utilizing waste material would just remain, well, an idea. Here are some greetings from Kokkola Leather and snippets of the team's everyday life, just as it appears at the factory in Kokkola.
"The moose that are killed are utilized as best as possible. The game meat goes to the hunters' own use and we further process the leather for further use, and the skins are not left unused in the forest. Hides suitable for leather production are tanned and the remaining skins are used to make dog chews. So we utilize the raw material 100%.
We believe in resource efficiency in all our operations. We use energy, water and raw materials in our production as efficiently and ecologically as possible. We invest in new technology in our machinery and challenge our production planning with the principles of continuous development. We use only green electricity in our production and pay attention to minimizing energy consumption in all our operations."
- Juha Örnberg, CEO, Kokkola Leather
We do a lot of good, but we are not perfect.
We are already doing good things with Kokkola Leather, but reducing our environmental impact requires continuous self-development and reviewing our joint operations. So there is still room for improvement.
Together with Kokkola Leather, we want to find new tanning methods that take better account of the origin of tanning agents and their environmental impacts in production. However, there are challenges with the currently used vegetable tanning agents, and there is no perfect solution. Our goal is to have an alternative to chrome tanning made from renewable materials and produced locally.
Transporting leather also generates significant emissions, as hides are sourced from hunting clubs located all over Finland. This is a clear area for development, and our goal is to find a lower-emission solution in the future together with Kokkola Leather, for example by using vehicles that use renewable fuels for transport.
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