text: Our leather materials - Learn more | ECCO® Leather Goods
  We are committed to excellent environmental and labor practices. Our headquarters in Dongen, The Netherlands and all of our tanneries in Asia received a Gold-Star rating from the Leather Working Group. Leather is a by-product of the meat industry—and we source our materials from carefully selected food-processing companies in Europe and the United States that meet international animal welfare standards.
  Every year, leather tanning around the globe uses an estimated 400 billion liters of water. ECCO Leather has pioneered DriTan™, a revolutionary new tanning process that tans without water. This saves 20 liters of water per hide, translating to about 5 liters of water per bag, and 25 million liters of water saved annually. That's enough water to keep 9,000 people hydrated for one year. Plus, DriTan™ technology also considerably reduces the amount of chemicals used and lowers the wastewater production.
  By 2030 our goal is to operate with closed-loop water systems and to use only bio-based, recycled, or recyclable chemicals and substances. Today, we strive to use upcycled and recycled materials at every opportunity. We are also developing new technologies to reduce water and solid waste in our leather production.