Vegetable Tanning ?? (30 seconds to read)
Posted by Daniel Graybill on
What is a vegetable tanned leather and why does it matter?
There are two main manufacturing methods for top grain leather. Chrome tanned and vegetable tanned. Chrome tanning makes up about 90% of the leather produced. The reason it's faster and cheaper to produce. But the speed of manufacturing comes at a cost... harsh chemicals. The hides are cured in acid, salt, chromium sulfate and other chemicals to reduce the manufacturing time to just a few days.
Vegetable tanning is the traditional way to make leather without harsh chemicals. The basic method has been perfected over thousands of years. This method takes weeks to produce. The end result is a timeless product, that with proper care can last for decades.