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sustainable luxury. naturally responsible.

Since Edelman's founding decades ago, we have been committed to environmentally sustainable practices. Ethically crafting our long-lasting leather has always been important to us. In the Edelman galaxy, fine leather, durability, quality, and sustainability have always fit together. 

We believe in environmentally responsible sourcing and traditional, small scale craftwork, along with incorporating the latest techniques to preserve our precious natural resources.

Nature is where we've always found our inspiration. We honor it with beautiful, natural leather.

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materials sourced right

We craft beautiful leather from hides that would otherwise be discarded as food industry by-products in landfills—no animals are ever raised solely for the sake of our leather. We carefully source our hides from small European farms with herds raised ethically in natural environments spanning France, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, supporting local industry. In Europe, artificial hormones are not allowed. Animals graze naturally, mostly consuming resources that aren't considered edible to humans. Beyond the hides, we don't source from countries without strong, ethical labor standards.

When selectively sourced, leather is higher quality, more durable, and longer lasting, which is ultimately better for the environment and your investment. 

waste not

High-quality luxury leather is the antithesis of throw-away, mass market culture. Our leather is naturally sustainable, with a long life cycle, and crafted to wear in, not out. Unlike disposable fast fashion that feeds into a cycle of waste and overconsumption, our leather products last.

Full grain, aniline-dyed leather with small amounts of pigment in the finish will outlast fabrics by four to five times. In a world filled with throw-away items, furniture upholstered in our leather lasts with very little maintenance, becoming an instant and cherished heirloom.

Leather is 100% biodegradable and 100% post-consumer recyclable.

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thoughtful production: tanning and finishing

Edelman's deep respect for the natural world is reflected in our commitment to environmentally-sound, sustainable development from start to finish. Our European leather tanning practices conform to strict emission standards. The tanneries are REACH compliant, ISO9001 certified, and undergoing ISO 1400 certification. The tanning process uses mostly water-based materials, limiting emissions of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Edelman's domestic finishing plant uses no solvent-based materials and produces no VOCs. All finishes are water-based, as enforced by OSHA.

packing and shipping with care

We look for shipping efficiencies whenever possible. We are able to drop ship within Europe for our clients, which often results in considerably less distance for our goods to travel.

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We make every effort to reduce the environmental impact of packing materials. All packaging to and from our tanneries is made of recycled content and is reused between our facilities as often as possible. We ship large orders on storage horses to decrease packing needs and ask that they be returned to us for repeated use. Whether it is hides, samples, or any other product, shipping boxes are made to order and sized for minimal waste. Our packaging and marketing products use FSC-certified materials and are 100% post-industrial and pre-consumer recyclable. We've shifted our samples packaging to all paper goods in our efforts to eliminate plastic and other petrochemical products.

We recycle to the specifications of each city where we hold a footprint. All wooden pallets are cut and recycled. 

consciousness throughout

We donate our scrap leather to design schools, local charities, and groups such as local community centers, senior centers, and youth organizations for use in arts and crafts. Our old color books are donated to design schools. We incorporate green practices into the whole value chain, using biodegradable and recycled products in all locations. We are always trying to find ways to do even better.

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wellness

All Edelman upholstery leathers are GREENGUARD Gold certified. This certification is based on some of the strictest chemical emissions standards in the world and is designed to improve indoor air quality. 

Leather is naturally non-toxic and allergies to leather are extremely rare.

our certifications

GREENGUARD Gold certification
Inclusion in mindful MATERIALS library
The tanneries we use are REACH compliant, ISO9001 certified, and undergoing ISO1400 certification.

GREENGUARD Gold Certification

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GREENGUARD Certification is based on some of the strictest chemical emissions standards in the world and is designed to improve indoor air quality. It offers assurance that products designed for use in indoor spaces meet strict chemical emissions limits. GREENGUARD Gold Certification goes further, limiting emissions of more than 360 VOCs and total chemical emissions, to ensure products are acceptable in environments including schools and healthcare facilities. GREENGUARD Certification helps a product show compliance with LEED Low-Emitting Material criteria.

mindful MATERIALS

The mindful MATERIALS (mM) Library is a free platform with information on human health and environmental impacts for products from leading manufacturers. It's a multi-stakeholder initiative developed by the building industry for the building industry that provides a resource to communicate transparency and optimization information for building products.

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Sustainable luxury lives at Edelman.