The Original Satchel Store will no longer use animal skins to make its bags and accessories. Instead, the company is giving its entire production over to making vegan bags and accessories. The products will now use pineapple leaves which are easy to work with, sustainable and also environmentally friendly.

Commenting is Steve Greenhalgh, a director of the Original Satchel Store. “We want to be seen to be working with Nature, not against her. We have sourced an all-natural product that we can offer to customers with a clear conscience for us and for them. It feels the right thing to do.

The decision to switch from leather to vegan plant-based material reflects a growing demand from customers.

“There is an alternative that allows customers to be in the vanguard of fashion without it costing the earth or raising serious ethical dilemmas. We have spent the last year or so looking at alternatives to leather including ‘pleather’ and artificial leather, none of which were acceptable; until we found Pinatex, a material made from pineapple leaves.

“Given the choice was to continue to use animal skins or find an alternative that gave us the same high-quality products without the ethical conflict, we decided to follow the alternative. Not only does leather production cause cruelty to animals, but it also causes cruelty to people as well.”

The company will still employ the same production techniques and remains committed to UK bag manufacture and also high-quality.

“Pineapple leaves are a fabulous alternative to leather. They are vegan, environmentally benign, perfect for our product range and crucially, cruelty-free. From now on that will be the direction of travel for the Original Satchel Store.”