Luxury Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini has revealed that it recovered 51% of all “special” production waste, including both leather and carbon fibre, in 2021, following the establishment of two in-house recycling and upcycling initiatives the year previous, writes Leatherbiz.

All offcuts and in any way defective hides and skins that do not pass the firm’s leather quality control process are reportedly now considered raw materials, ready to be rendered anew in the form of personalised small leathergoods, for example.

In partnership with local social enterprise Cooperative Cartiera, which diverts surplus leather and fabric from landfill by reworking it into new products, Lamborghini recently unveiled the first fruits of a joint upcycled leather project by the two Bologna-based entities. The results of which are a tote bag, a smartphone case, a cardholder and a key ring.

Each leathergoods article has been embossed with the Italian car company’s well-known shield emblem, in addition to the words “reduce, reuse, recycle”. The items are available to purchase online, as well as via select Lamborghini dealers.

The Sant’Agata Bolognese-headquartered firm first received International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 accreditation in 2009, in recognition of its environmental management systems. Later that same year, it implemented a waste upcycling strategy at its head office facility.