The Bag Company has created the world�s first leather bag designed specifically to combat salt pollution and save water in the process. The Weekender by The Bag Company is be made from LitehideTM, a patented technology designed to combat salt pollution in the leather making industry.

The brand was created by Desmond Cheung, an equities analyst with over 15 years of experience, who observed a multitude of sustainability problems that the industry was beset by. After discovering Litehide, he combined that with his 5 years of experience as business development and co founder in two starts-ups and launched The Bag Company in Oct. 2020.

Through the use of Litehide technology, the production of each Weekender bag will remove over five pounds of salt and save 20 gallons of water compared to leather made from salted hides. This is combined with an aniline finishing to create the most natural, soft and supple finish which allows the leather to retain all the characteristics of the natural hide making each bag unique. As the bag is used, it will develop its own patina over time, thus further personalising it to its owner, making it truly a one of a kind.This technological overhaul is combined with classic design sensibilities to arrive at a product that is both responsible and stands the test of time. Combined with using a chrome free tanning process, The Bag Company�s Weekender bag will be one of the most environmentally friendly leather bags on the market.

The Bag Company also employs one of the oldest sustainability technologies; built to last. The Weekender is made from full grain cow leather, making this the last bag you�ll ever need. And with its classic good looks this can also be the last bag future generations need as it gets passed on for them to write their own stories.

Kicking out salt pollution
Whilst leather is a beautiful, natural, and arguably one of the first examples of an up-cycled material, its journey from raw hide to finished leather can involve significant usage of salt and water.

Manufacturing of leather has steadily been shifting to developing countries for decades due to increasing labour and environmental costs and salt is the oldest and still one of the most used ways of preserving raw hides for transportation.

A container of 500 salted hides requires up to 10,000 pounds of salt, with the salt taking up to a third of the space. Salted hides also need to be cleaned before processing which can require as much as 4 gallons of water per pound of hide. The tainted wash off can contaminate local waterways and farm land if not treated properly.

Litehide technology preserves without salt and reduces weight by dehydration allowing up to 3,000 hides in the same container. This gives the additional benefits of lowering transportation costs, carbon emissions and wastage.

The Weekender bag with Litehide technology is available now from Kickstarter until 20 December. Order now for an early bird price of US$249 plus shipping ahead of upcoming Valentine�s or birthday gift for family, friends or loved ones before the price goes up to US$299 (against a MSRP of US$399). For more information, please visit The Weekender Kickstarter campaign page.