Horse Saddle and Tack Materials Archive
Dissection of a Saddle - Front view
Dissection of a Saddle - Side view
Dissection of a Saddle - Bottom view
The Equestrian Innovation Lab is working closely together with FTILab+ and their project SUSTEX, aiming to create a sustainable saddle and materials database as a resource for researchers, students and stakeholders from the saddle and tack industry.
SUSTEX is a physical and digital database which currently consists of over 800 sustainable textile materials. In 2023, a selection of leather and assorted materials used in the horse saddle and tack industry has been added. As in many other segments of the textile industry, the sustainability of materials used for horse saddle and tack are being watched with great scrutiny. Obviously leather for saddles and bridlemaking takes up a large part of this database, with special attention to field specific treatments and finishes, such as different ways of tanning, the traceability of the animals and the welfare of these animals, the usage of chemicals or the lack thereof, vegetable dyes, free of chrome and quality certification within Europe. The research on the sustainability of raw materials or on the recycling of used products or fibres is still in it’s early stages and therefor the mapping of innovations in this field will be the goal of this project.
The leather industry is expensive, polluting, wasteful and far from carbon free. Large amounts of water are used in the production of leather and assorted saddle components. Due to the stricter environmental regulations and expensive labour costs in Europe, plenty of tanneries have relocated abroad. As a result, the supply chain of the saddle production has become a worldwide phenomenon.
Creating a high end product such as a saddle, involves a process on an international scale. From the cow in the field to the slaughterhouse, after which the skin is transported to the tannery where the hide is made. Resellers worldwide trade this high end leather to saddlemakers and brands for making their products, which are then made available to trade fairs and saddle representatives, working closely together with sadlefitters who travel extensively to their end customers, trying to fit the right saddle for the right horse and it’s rider.
Certifications guides for leather
IVN certification in Germany:
The quality seal NATURLEDER specifies a number of basic requirements for all businesses pursuing certification. All manufacturing plants must, for example, have access to a two tier wastewater treatment plant, regardless of whether their waste water is fed directly (without treatment) or indirectly via a wastewater treatment facility into surface water. GMOs or modified substances are to be avoided. As it is not possible to screen for these substances, they cannot be expressly forbidden. All chemicals used must meet predetermined specifications.
The raw material for leather is animal skin. It is important that the animals from which these skins derive are held primarily for meat. This avoids additionally polluting animal husbandry. Wild animals or species threatened by extinction are banned as NATURLEDER products.
Eko-keurmerk is the certification for sustainable leather produced from ecological farming.
EMAS is a regulation for some parts of the environmental management system for the environment, healthy and safe working.
ISO 14001-certification is an internationally accepted standard that formulates requirements for an environmental management system. The standard also describes how an organization can manage risks during processes.
OCS is a Content Standard and is an international and voluntary standard that aims to increase organic farming. It guarantees the origin of the organic product from farm to finished product and it’s complete supply chain. The logo is used by manufacturers, brands and representatives of all the world.
ICEC is a institute for quality certifications for the leather industry of Italy. The sustainability of the production processes is specified in the various certificates that can be obtained. Eco leather certification for a minimal footprint based on UNI 11427 standard.
https://www.icec.it/
ChromeFree Leather Alliance is an institute for quality certification for the leather industry (ICEC), the LWG and a Brazilian certificate.
https://www.chromefree.org
LWG is the Leather Working Group Worldwide for tanning ethically responsible leather, involving all the stakeholders as brands, manufacturers, suppliers and consumers.
https://www.leatherworkinggroup.com/
Partnership and quality mark Vera Pelle has been established in 1994 with more and more affiliated companies (23) in Tuscany only with using natural high-quality leather.
https://www.pellealvegetale.it
ZDHC is specialized in the reduction of the amount of chemicals in the work process. https://www.roadmaptozero.com/?locale=en
Abbreviations:
FOC is Free of chrome (maximum 0,1 % chroom 3).
FOM is free of metal (without the use of metals or compounds as aluminuiron and titanium.s)