But what is the alternative to the natural materials that are available to us today and would not exist without our traditional livestock breeding?
Let’s take the leather made from the hides of my cattle which is used for sturdy hiking boots as an example.
Nature lovers, hikers and climbers may be opposed to cattle breeding, but they also want durable outdoor clothing and footwear.
But the alternative to leather is plastic. But we now know that modern synthetic materials can harm the environment.
Functional clothing is often treated with PFCs (perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals) to ensure both breathable and waterproof qualities. Fibres detach from clothing and footwear and proceed to contaminate nature over many years. PFCs that only break down over a long period are now also being found in remote mountain lakes.
As a mountain farmer, I naturally count myself among the environmentalists, because protecting the mountain landscape is about safeguarding my livelihood and my home. But I am convinced there is no alternative to breeding livestock.
This is the only world we have, which is why we do everything we can to preserve human health and the natural environment: this of course includes ensuring that Perwanger leathers contain no harmful substances.
We are proud to have been awarded the strict OEKO-TEX® LEATHER STANDARD environmental certificate for our high-performance leathers.
