Grady & Robinson + Mulberry
The Company
Grady + Robinson is creating the first supply of leather made from the hides of animals raised on regenerative farms in the UK. The goal of the business is to supply brands and designers with vegetable tanned leather that is traceable to its farm source, made entirely in the UK, and biodegradable at the end of a product’s useful life.
R&D Focus
It is not currently possible to finish leather at a commercial scale with ingredients that are known to be sustainable, natural and biodegradable. And yet, finishing is a crucial step that determines the material’s suitability to a particular product. The BFTT project sought to identify ingredients and processes for leather finishing that are traceable, natural, sustainably produced, and biodegradable in the finished leather.
Technical trials were completed in collaboration with the Institute for Creative Leather Technology at Northampton University. Mulberry supported the project with feedback, performance testing, and interpreting test results. Through this creative R&D, Grady + Robinson have identified prospects for further development that may result in novel approaches to leather colouration and finishing, using sustainable methods and materials.