From elk suede hides to bags

Kokkola leather

Elk suede from population-control hunting

From elk hides to bags

At the heart of circular economy thinking is the idea of ​​utilizing existing materials as efficiently as possible instead of creating new ones. This is where our Collaboration with Kokkola Nahka also boils down to. Kokkola leather is a Finnish family-owned business now operating in the third generation. They make high quality elk leather for demanding needs. Kokkola uses 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 Leather in our unique bags.

ESTABLISHED:1957

EMPLOYEES: 40

LOCATION: KOKKOLA, FINLAND

From population control hunting hides to bags

Kokkola's 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 would also add to traffic accidents.

Kokkola 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 utilized 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 utilize 100% of the material gathered.

In all our actions we believe in resource efficiency. We use 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 minimizing energy consumption in all actions."

-Juha Örnberg, CEO, Kokkola Leather

Always room for improvement

We are already doing some amazing things together with Kokkola, 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 Kokkola 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 used 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 optimizing the logistics network emissions could be further minimised. Here we seek a solution together with Kokkola Leather.

Kokkola leather

Elk suede from population-control hunting

From population control hunting hides to bags

At the heart of circular economy thinking is the idea of ​​utilizing existing materials as efficiently as possible instead of creating new ones. This is where our Collaboration with Kokkola Nahka also boils down to. Kokkola leather is a Finnish family-owned business now operating in the third generation. They make high quality elk leather for demanding needs. Kokkola uses 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 Leather 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 Kokkola Leather and how they are processed.

Kokkola's 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 would also add to traffic accidents.

Kokkola 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 utilized 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 utilize 100% of the material gathered.

In all our actions we believe in resource efficiency. We use 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 minimizing energy consumption in all actions."

-Juha Örnberg, CEO, Kokkola Leather

Always room for improvement

We are already doing some amazing things together with Kokkola, 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 Kokkola 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 used 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 optimizing the logistics network emissions could be further minimised. Here we seek a solution together with Kokkola Leather.

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