From reindeer suede to bags

Ahlskog

Reindeer suede

With over 100 years of experience in leather, Kruunupyy

In order for us at Lovia to be able to produce durable bags for their new owners, the material used must be of good quality. One of our material partners is Ahlskog, located in Kruunupyy, which has 100 years of experience in leather production. The company, which has been operating since the 1920s, has managed to convince European fashion houses to become its customers.

Ahlskog's trump card is not only high-quality leather, but also a strict attitude towards environmental requirements. This is reflected in practice, for example, in the minimization of water consumption in the leather production phase: water consumption is only 15-20 liters per hide. The leather hides, which are a by-product of conservation hunting, are given a new purpose as the material for Lovia bags.

FOUNDED: 1945

EMPLOYEES: 8

LOCATION: KRUUNUPYY, FINLAND

From reindeer suede to bags

Local organizations in the reindeer herding area, or herding communities, sell reindeer hides every autumn. There are 56 herding communities in Finnish Lapland, each of which is responsible for reindeer herding and management in its own area. The price of hides varies annually depending on supply and demand. Ahlskog hides are also purchased here.

There are an estimated 200,000 reindeer in Finland. Reindeer are semi-wild domestic animals that are allowed to graze freely in the fells and in Forest Lapland. Reindeer herding is a traditional livelihood for the Sámi people and has enabled them to live north of the Arctic Circle for centuries. Reindeer husbandry is practiced for the meat, milk and leather obtained from reindeer.

Reindeer suede is a luxurious material with unique properties. As a material, it is soft and light, but when needed, it also demonstrates Finnish qualities: tenacity and durability.

The reindeer suede leather used in Lovia bags is chrome-tanned at the Ahlskog factory in Kruunupyy in a carefully controlled process. Tanning is a stage in leather processing that aims to make the hide durable. The factory uses three tanning methods: chrome tanning, vegetable tanning and synthetic (metal-free) tanning. In our new material orders, Ahlskog uses synthetic tanning, which is more ecological compared to chrome or imported vegetable tanning agents.

Greetings from the Kruunupyy factory

We want to give our partners a chance to have their voices heard, because without them the idea of ​​utilizing waste material would just remain, well, an idea. Here are some greetings from Ahlskog and snippets of the team's everyday life, just as it appears at the factory in Kruunupyy.

"It is important to us that we use mainly Finnish raw materials: reindeer and deer. Reindeer is close to produced, lived in the wild and is used to produce leather that is a by-product of meat production. On the other hand, the deer population has grown so large that we can utilize the deer that are being thinned out for game management reasons to make goat skins. We also try to operate as ecologically as possible, we use little water and, for example, the chromium we use is precipitated and disposed of according to instructions. The chemicals, which are the same as those used by the textile industry, come from safe European operators.

We are delighted with how Lovia has promoted transparency and the recycling theme in the industry. The visits to our factory and the sometimes difficult questions have been appreciated!"

-Mikko Uusitalo, CEO, Ahlskog

Where can we do better?

We are already doing good things with Ahlskog, but reducing our environmental impact requires continuous self-development and reviewing our joint operations. So there is still room for improvement.

After 2019, we have switched from reindeer to wild deer hide from Ahlskog, which is obtained as a by-product of managed hunting.

Our goal is to work with Ahlskog to find new tanning methods that take better account of the origin of tanning agents and their environmental impacts in production. However, there are challenges with the substances currently used as vegetable tanning agents, and there is no perfect solution. Our goal is to have an alternative to chrome tanning made from renewable materials and produced locally.

Ahlskog

Reindeer suede

With over 100 years of experience in leather, Kruunupyyä

In order for us at Lovia to be able to produce durable bags for their new owners, the material used must be of good quality. One of our material partners is Ahlskog, located in Kruunupyy, which has 100 years of experience in leather production. The company, which has been operating since the 1920s, has managed to convince European fashion houses to become its customers.

Ahlskog's trump card is not only high-quality leather, but also a strict attitude towards environmental requirements. This is reflected in practice, for example, in the minimization of water consumption in the leather production phase: water consumption is only 15-20 liters per hide. The leather hides, a by-product of conservation hunting, are given a new purpose as the material for Lovia bags.

FOUNDED: 1945

EMPLOYEES: 8

LOCATION: KRUUNUPYY, FINLAND

From reindeer suede to bags

To make environmentally smart decisions, we need information about the background of our products. We are transparent about where Ahlskog's leather comes from and how it is processed.

Local organizations in the reindeer herding area, or herding communities, sell reindeer hides every autumn. There are 56 herding communities in Finnish Lapland, each of which is responsible for reindeer herding and management in its own area. The price of hides varies annually depending on supply and demand. Ahlskog hides are also purchased here.

There are an estimated 200,000 reindeer in Finland. Reindeer are semi-wild domestic animals that are allowed to graze freely in the fells and in Forest Lapland. Reindeer herding is a traditional livelihood for the Sámi people and has enabled them to live north of the Arctic Circle for centuries. Reindeer husbandry is practiced for the meat, milk and leather obtained from reindeer.

Reindeer suede is a luxurious material with unique properties. As a material, it is soft and light, but when needed, it also demonstrates Finnish qualities: tenacity and durability.

The reindeer suede leather used in Lovia bags is chrome-tanned at the Ahlskog factory in Kruunupyy in a carefully controlled process. Tanning is a stage in leather processing that aims to make the hide durable. The factory uses three tanning methods: chrome tanning, vegetable tanning and synthetic (metal-free) tanning. In our new material orders, Ahlskog uses synthetic tanning, which is more ecological compared to chrome or imported vegetable tanning agents.

Greetings from the crown factory

We want to give our partners a chance to have their voices heard, because without them the idea of ​​utilizing waste material would just remain, well, an idea. Here are some greetings from Ahlskog and snippets of the team's everyday life, just as it appears at the factory in Kruunupyy.

"It is important to us that we use mainly Finnish raw materials: reindeer and deer. Reindeer is close to produced, lived in the wild and is used to produce leather that is a by-product of meat production. On the other hand, the deer population has grown so large that we can utilize the deer that are being thinned out for game management reasons to make goat skins. We also try to operate as ecologically as possible, we use little water and, for example, the chromium we use is precipitated and disposed of according to instructions. The chemicals, which are the same as those used by the textile industry, come from safe European operators.

We are delighted with how Lovia has promoted transparency and the recycling theme in the industry. The visits to our factory and the sometimes difficult questions have been appreciated!"

-Mikko Uusitalo, CEO, Ahlskog

Where could we do better?

We are already doing good things with Ahlskog, but reducing our environmental impact requires continuous self-development and reviewing our joint operations. So there is still room for improvement.

After 2019, we have switched from reindeer to wild deer hide from Ahlskog, which is obtained as a by-product of managed hunting.

Our goal is to work with Ahlskog to find new tanning methods that take better account of the origin of tanning agents and their environmental impacts in production. However, there are challenges with the substances currently used as vegetable tanning agents, and there is no perfect solution. Our goal is to have an alternative to chrome tanning made from renewable materials and produced locally.

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