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Who We Are

Why Do We Exist?
CUYANA VERSION
Where relentless pursuit for sustainability meets unparalleled quality. We create fashion accessories from upcycled and organic leather to foster conscious consumption.
Everlane type: Conscious Consumption | Unparalleled quality | Revolutionary Approach\
 
How bad the industry is: 
  1. 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions due to its long supply chains and energy intensive production.
  2. In 2018 the fashion industry produced 2.1 billion tonnes CO2eq. This represents 4% of global carbon emissions – an emissions’ share larger than that of France, Germany and the UK combined
  3. Up to 95% of the textiles that are land filled each year could be recycled. 7
Our Ethos & Values (Our Vision)
Why do we exist video
Better for the Environment: Better than alternatives (Generic Overview)
At écotorie, we create premium fashion accessories without compromising on our responsibility for the environment. We do so by partnering up with factories that produce for the traditional fashion industry and craft products from materials from discarded materials that would otherwise be incinerated or dumped in landfills. Together, we believe we can pioneer a change to make the fashion industry into a delicate phenomenon for the environment.
  • Leather as a by-product of the meat industry
We believe in the maximization of the use of natural and organic materials to create a product. We create products using leather scraps and organic leather. While vegan leather is animal friendly, it has not so friendly implications of the environment. Vegan leather is traditionally made from the polyurethane which is essentially plastic. 
Plastic based vegan leather is heavily dependent on the petrochemical industry and associates itself with a high net amount of carbon dioxide emission during manufacturing combined with its non-biodegradable nature making it one of the most difficult man made products to decompose. 
“13 million tonnes of non-biodegradable synthetic fibres enter our oceans each year”
In hindsight, leather skins are the byproduct of the meat industry. At Ecotorie, we use organic tanning processes to limit the use of harsh chemicals used during the tanning process. We encompass tanneries and factories that are LWG (Leather Working Group) certified that significantly reduce energy consumption, water utilization and chemical input during the tanning process. 
In sheer numbers our factories consume:
  • 35% less water
  • 48% less energy
  • 95% less hazardous chemicals
Our pure vegetable tanned leather is conscious to many levels. From being chemical free for human usage to being safe for the environment, we believe or range of products is the solution to environmental problems that prevail in the modern world. 
  • Traditional leather vs PU
  • Organic leather vs chrome tanned leather
Organic (100% vegetable tanned leather) & Use of scraps 
Our materials: 
We strategically focus on designing products that do not require the generation of new materials. Our range of products are made from the off cuts of existing manufacturing which one on hand bakes them over 90% made out of upcycled materials but also limits the mass availability of our products to a select few. 
Our tote bags are made from 100% organic or vegetable tanned leather making sure there are not toxic chemicals like chromium, azo dyes or nickel are discharged into our ecosystem and disrupting nature. More importantly, they decompose immediately as they are organic and 100% biodegradable! 
“Vegan leather avoids animal based product, but we are in-turn investing in a plastic based product which is detrimental for the environment”
Our Products
Mapping our sustainable supply chain: From waste to finished product (product video)
Factories & Approach
Who Made Our Products? (BLOG POSTS)
Factory Facts
Workforce Facts: Living wages, Working conditions, No child labor and proper fire safety and health regulations for the workforce etc. Smeta/Sedex and LWG compliant. 
Sourcing and Transparency
Tannery- tanning organic leather (use of less water/No harmful chemicals for humans or the environment. Tannery is powered by its in-house energy generation unit which uses bio-diesel to power its heavy machinery. 
Tannery has an in house effluent treatment plant (No polluted water is discharged. The water is re-sued for future tanning. 
NO Plastic - Using of metal hardware. Hardware is sourced in an environmentally cautious manner. Nickel free nickel, No lead content or cadmium persistent in the metal. 
Process of creation: Can include one video here
Sourcing of materials: How is it better than the alternative
Sustainability
Sustainability: Fact Sheet - generic numbers
  1. Why leather - How is it sustainable, use of cattle, how bad PU is. 
Audits, Certifications, Numbers
First step to end product to packaging: Flowchart of impact creation/waste reduction
Long-term goals
Future approach
  • Partnering up with multiple factories across the supply chain to reuse the materials to make sustainable products. 
Movements we support/Ideals
WASTE IN THE LEATHER INDUSTRY
-Every year, the leather industry discards x amounts of waste – most of which ends up in landfills and takes years to decompose. The remaining waste is oftentimes incinerated illegally, acting as a significant contributor to air pollution and emitting harmful particles in the atmosphere.
At Ecotorie, we believe in employing sustainable practices that reduce waste and combat pollution. All our leather products are crafted from premium leather scraps or organic leather.
What do our scrap leather products mean for the environment?
-0% waste
-x% reduction in carbon footprint
-y% reduction in energy consumption
-z% prevention in waste that would otherwise end up in landfill
What do our organic leather products mean for the environment?
-Lean manufacturing (less than 5% leather waste generated)
-x% reduction in energy consumption in comparison to traditional leather
-y% reduction in toxic waste water runoffs since chemicals are not used in the tanning process
-z% reduction in carbon footprint in comparison to PU/traditional leather
LESS IS MORE – UPCYCLING DISCARDED LEATHER OFFCUTS
Premium leather products made from the leather trimmings and byproducts of other leather manufacturing processes. The “leather scraps” we source are premium quality leather trimmings that are piled up for disposal or incineration. The cuttings are handpicked by Ecotorie.
Once sourced, these materials are creatively transformed into a finished product. Due to lack of dependability on sourcing quality leather trimmings consistently, such products are made in limited quantities - each acting as a responsible and sustainable alternative to the traditional leather product. 
The iconic box bag is assembled using individual leather blocks that were created as a byproduct of a different manufacturing process. 
The result of this creation is a unique functional product that bolsters Ecotorie’s sustainable initiative
Long-term goals
-Partnering up with multiple factories to upcycle leather products
-Sourcing sustainably to increase positive environmental impact, promote lean consumption