By Camilla Sarra. Cover image Heart, the new sustainable leather by Rino Mastrotto.
Luxury, once considered the ultimate expression of abundance, is now re-evaluating the very definition it helped to establish. What once relied on conspicuous consumption is increasingly being challenged to adapt to a world of finite resources, pressing environmental limitations, and growing public scrutiny. Few materials symbolise this conflict more than leather.
Long admired for its sensory richness and timeless appeal, leather has also been one of the most polluting and resource-intensive materials in the fashion and design industries. The processes of tanning, dyeing, and fatliquoring consume vast amounts of water—up to 50 litres per square metre—and rely on a heavy load of chemical substances. These impacts, often hidden from the final consumer, have contributed to growing criticism and calls for reform throughout the supply chain.
Sustainable Leather Project: Inside the HEARTH Project
Rethinking Leather Production: How Rino Mastrotto’s HEARTH Cuts Water, Chemicals, and Emissions
A new initiative from Trissino, located in Italy’s Veneto region, is attempting to reframe this debate. Developed by the Rino Mastrotto Group, a leading name in the global tanning industry, HEARTH is not simply a new leather product but a reengineering of how leather is made.
What sets HEARTH apart is not the use of alternative raw materials or synthetic substitutes but a radical transformation of the existing production methods. By rethinking critical stages of production—tanning, dyeing, and fatliquoring—the company claims to have reduced water consumption by over 90%, decreasing it from around 42 litres per square metre to less than 4. The use of chemicals has also been trimmed by nearly a quarter, and carbon emissions during these stages were reduced by approximately 22%. Additionally, the reliance on fossil-based resources has dropped by 25%, according to data verified by an independent life cycle assessment (LCA).
While these figures are impressive, they raise a broader question: Can traditional processes be adapted to address ecological challenges without compromising quality or heritage?
Rino Mastrotto’s HEARTH Reinvents Leather for a Sustainable Future
The implications of the HEARTH project stretch beyond the leather industry. In many ways, it embodies the wider transformation underway in fashion and design—industries that have long relied on opaque value chains and extractive practices now pressured to deliver not only beauty but also accountability.
As sustainability becomes a key measure of reputational value, companies are striving to support their claims with data, certifications, and lifecycle analyses. Yet consumers are also becoming more informed and more skeptical. Terms like “eco-leather” and “green tanning” are often viewed with caution, and rightly so. In this context, projects like HEARTH matter not just because of their technical achievements but also because they foster important discussions: What does sustainability truly look like when applied to heritage materials? How far can tradition bend without breaking?
Scarcity as a Driver for Sustainable Design
Innovation doesn’t always mean starting from scratch. Sometimes, it means refining, streamlining, and simplifying processes. In the case of leather, that means saving water, cutting chemical inputs, and reducing the climate burden—all while maintaining the material’s core identity.
This shift is part of a broader cultural recalibration. Increasingly, value is associated with what is not consumed: water that isn’t extracted, emissions that aren’t released, and impacts that don’t happen. Within the framework of circularity, absence becomes presence. The story a material tells includes not only its visible form but also the invisible choices made along the way.
Designing Within Limits: A Sustainable Approach
For designers, manufacturers, and even consumers, this changing narrative presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Working within environmental boundaries requires new forms of creativity that go beyond just aesthetics or performance: it requires consideration of ecological footprints, transparency, and legacy.
And perhaps this is where the real potential lies. Projects like these demonstrate that even materials steeped in tradition, such as leather, can evolve. What were once seen as constraints on creative freedom can become frameworks for more meaningful expression. In an age of environmental reckoning, beauty may no longer be found in abundance but rather in preservation.
