Ecco debuts leather-waste fibre shoe
Footwear brand and tannery group Ecco has launched its first style using a protein-based fibre made from leather offcuts.
The upper of the Ecco Biom 720 is made from wet blue shavings – thin layers removed to achieve consistent leather thickness – which are processed into textile fibre filaments by Finnish cellulosic fibres specialist Spinnova.
Ecco and Spinnova began their collaboration in 2020 through a joint venture exploring how leather by-product raw materials could be used as textile fibres.
The resulting material has tensile strength comparable to wool and elongation at break roughly twice that of cotton, and can be used in woven or knitted structures.
Janne Poranen, CEO of Spinnova, said: “This launch is a meaningful moment for us, as it represents the culmination of over five years of close development work with Ecco. Together, we have shown that leather by-product can be transformed into a high quality textile fibre with commercial relevance, and it is rewarding to now see this innovation become part of a finished product.”
