Our Materials
The materials we use
Every Duffle&Co bag and accessory is carefully handcrafted from the very best responsibly sourced, natural materials.
Over the years we have trialled and tested with innovative plant based materials. This is because we know that you, our lovely website customers and corporate clients, sometimes want something different to carefully chosen leather.
Across our range you can find New Zealand NAKED COW leather (vegetable dyed and biodegradable), GOTS certified organic cotton canvas, and roll-end smooth and full grain leather.
For our corporate gifting clients who are ordering larger quantities, Desserto (cactus leather), Piñatex (pineapple leather), recycled canvas made from car upholstery (makes a great canvas bag!), organic cotton and Mirum (the only high-performance, plastic-free alternative to leather) are available.
Duffle&Co Materials:
NAKED COW ™ Leather
With our New Zealand NAKED COW ™ Leather, you can carry a piece of New Zealand with you everyday.
Our vegetable tanned New Zealand cow leather comes from the pastures of Oamaru in Otago, and Invercargill in Southland, and is a by-product of the grass-fed food industry here in New Zealand. Our farmers work hand-in-hand with nature to ensure luxurious leather, while sustaining an environmental legacy to be passed on to generations to come.
Duffle&Co materials:
By-product leather
In our Bali workshop we craft using repurposed by-product leather, which is taken from other brands surplus. This leather would usually be thrown away due to small defects in the hide, which large factories won't use in their machines. Luckily we have the ability to cut around these small defects and repurpose the rest of the leather. Our master craftsman hand picks each roll-end from Jakarta and also local sellers near our workshop, paying careful attention to how each one looks and feels. This unique way of working means that no two bags are ever exactly the same, due to the grain and natural markings in each hide.
Duffle&Co materials:
Organic cotton
For our canvas bags we use GOTS certified organic cotton, which is handwoven on traditional wooden looms into our unique cotton canvas. This is dyed using plant based, azo-free dyes, then handcrafted into bags in our India workshop, which is a green certified solar powered building.
Most of our bags have a lining that is also made from organic cotton. Our unique Duffle&Co topography lining is then screen printed by hand on top to finish.
Duffle&Co materials:
Piñatex
Pineapple leather (or Piñatex) is a leather alternative that is made from the cellulose fibres of pineapple leaves. The leaves are a by-product of pineapple harvest, which would otherwise be thrown away or burned. By creating a strong, durable fabric from these leaves, it allows farmers to fully utilise their entire crop, providing additional income. Pinatex is made very much in a similar way to felt, thus is strong and has a textured feel to it. Learn more on our blog here.
Duffle&Co are certified by
Reducing waste
In order to reduce waste in our production process, we use as much of each material as possible. This is done by strategic pattern cutting that is done by hand. Whatever material is left over, our workshop manager and craftsmen collate this to be used for things like our keyrings and tassels, wristlets or zipper ends.
Your bag will arrive on your doorstep in a biodegradable mail bag, which you can pop into your home compost (please remove the labels first. This will degrade in around 90 days). Inside you'll find your bag presented in a reusable cotton drawstring bag. Learn more about what you could do with your reusable drawstring bag here.
Transparency and traceability
Each Duffle&Co piece is proudly finished with a hand signed hangtag by the craftsman or woman that made it. If you want to see the journey of your where your Duffle&Co product has come from, all you need to do is use. your phone to scan the QR code on the hangtag. Transparency and traceability is part of our DNA, which is why our supply chain is integrated to blockchain.
Material care
Wondering how to care for your Duffle&Co bags and accessories? Learn more here.
Every online purchase plants 5 trees
Landscape Reforestation
We work alongside our partners Eden Reforestation Projects to ensure that each purchase you make plants 5 trees. Landscape Restoration is a standards-based approach that generates environmental, socioeconomic, and biodiversity benefits in critical landscapes around the world. It is a more holistic and longer-term method of restoration and conservation, delivering more comprehensive benefits to communities and the ecosystem services we all depend on. Eden uses avoided conversion, high-quality indigenous species, and prioritises biodiversity.