Circular leather innovation with Nordic Leather Group
To accelerate circularity in the leather industry, we partnered with Nordic Leather Group and key value chain actors to unlock high-value applications for recycled leather cut-off waste. Together, we explored innovative recycling pathways and supported the transition to sustainable, regulation-ready leather production in Europe.
BACKGROUND
Each year, large volumes of leather waste from accessories production are discarded, despite leather’s durability and long-lasting value. Committed to driving more sustainable leather production, Nordic Leather Group is working to minimise waste and unlock new opportunities for leather recycling. As circular economy regulations and expectations evolve, finding innovative ways to handle leather waste is more important than ever. By addressing the challenge of leather offcuts, Nordic Leather Group is helping to redefine waste as a resource and take a leading role in circular leather innovation across Europe.
CHALLENGE
Leather’s exceptional qualities, like insulation, protection, and fire resistance, make it a go-to material for premium accessories. But these same strengths also make it difficult to recycle. Traditional recycling methods can degrade their unique properties, leading to quality loss or increased landfill waste. To build a truly circular leather economy, we need smarter ways to reuse and recycle leather off-cuts, without compromising their performance. This calls for new perspectives and hands-on collaboration across the entire leather value chain.
SOLUTION
In this project, we explored advanced recycling routes that make use of leather’s distinct material properties, such as shock absorbency and flexibility. Instead of focusing on conventional recycled leather products, we looked at entirely new applications that preserve or even enhance the material’s inherent value. By tapping into the hidden potential of leather waste, we helped lay the groundwork for innovative, circular solutions that support sustainable production in the accessories sector.
RESULT
Our in-depth material exploration uncovered strong potential for recycled leather cut-offs to become high-value, sustainable materials in new product applications. Moving forward, industry-wide collaboration will be key, bringing together suppliers, producers, customers, and even competitors to validate, scale, and implement these solutions. With this initiative, Nordic Leather Group is helping accelerate circular transformation in the leather industry and set new standards for waste reduction and sustainable production.
KEY TAKE AWAYS
The project uncovered promising material properties in recycled leather cut-offs, revealing their potential for diverse, high-value applications beyond traditional leather uses
Strong collaboration across the entire value chain proved essential to develop scalable, circular solutions and drive real impact.
As regulations tighten and pressure mounts for responsible resource management, proactively addressing leather waste is not just a compliance issue; it’s key to staying competitive and leading on sustainability.
WHY NONWOVEN?
Nonwoven is a sustainable solution for textile waste management.
Nonwoven technology offers an energy-efficient and versatile alternative for managing textile waste. It is less sensitive to fibre quality and can process even the most complex textile waste streams. By integrating various techniques, this approach enables the creation of new materials from secondary textile raw materials suitable for various applications.
