How does material feel?

Skin is something existential, our largest organ. Skin protects, separates and connects. Leather is also made durable by tanning. Tanning hides is one of the oldest crafts and traditions in human history. A material of yesterday, today - and tomorrow?

In a full-scale tannery in Germany, I went in search of the roots of the material. Here I looked at cowhide in its processing steps. I was amazed at how many people touch the material and touched by the appreciation and respect that all the employees showed the leather. After all, it is and remains the skin of an animal, a killed animal.
As long as people consume meat, the further processing of the skin as another by-product of the meat industry can be seen as a meaningful added value. On the other hand, the question arises whether and to what extent the leather industry favours the economic interests of factory farming. Nevertheless, leather is a social cultural asset, its production a tradition and much older than factory farming. Many of the vegan leather substitutes are currently still made of plastic and are thus not biodegradable. But - in order to meet our goals for climate and environmental protection and to preserve the planet for future generations, it is necessary to move away from both factory farming and the use of plastic. With its many ambivalences, leather is a topic that challenges the culture of debate in our times of transformation.