O as in olive leather
Our goal is to use raw materials consciously and to minimize our impact on the environment as much as possible.
This also applies to leather. At HUGO BOSS, we are therefore pioneering the use of Olivenleder®, which is leather tanned with the dried leaves of the olive tree. This is made possible by processing the leaves into a biodegradable syrup, similar to the preparation of tea, and then using it for a particularly gentle and environmentally friendly way of tanning. No compromises are made in terms of leather quality and longevity. This innovative process has been patented by the Germany-based company wet-green®.
As a global company that takes its responsibility to preserve the earth for future generations seriously, HUGO BOSS has been working together with wet-green® and a partner in India for three years to optimize the manufacturing process of Olivenleder® for the fashion industry. The Indian partner has completely changed its tanning process and is now certified by wet-green®, using only vegetable tanning and no potentially harmful chemicals. In addition, drying the leaves in the sun does not consume any energy. This is good for the environment and also for the people who work in production.
There are other advantages that this pioneering process has to offer, too. The products are particularly kind to the skin, since fewer dyes are used in the further processing of the material. The social component is also important: by processing the leaves, which are actually a waste product of the food industry and are simply incinerated in many places, farmers in the Mediterranean region, e.g. in Spain, Italy, Tunisia or Morocco, receive an additional income. According to wet-green®, during the olive harvesting and the pruning of trees around 10 percent of the overall harvest weight is leaves.
Up to now, Olivenleder® was more commonly found in the automotive and furniture industries. HUGO BOSS is the first major fashion company to use this innovative material in a variety of products, taking craftsmanship and environmentally friendly processing to a whole new level. The first ‘Responsible Styles’ under the BOSS and HUGO brands are available online and in stores. Further products made of Olivenleder® are already planned.
