Leather manufacturer JBS Couros has taken a further step forward with its Kind Leather concept by developing a new collection called Essntial.

JBS Couros introduced Kind Leather in 2019 after it developed a series of articles using only those parts of the hide best suited for leather, making it possible to create a higher-quality product, avoid waste and use fewer resources in the manufacturing process.

Leather bearing the Kind Leather label generates up to 93% less waste, consumes up to 52% less water and has a global warming potential that is up to 44% lower than leather made using traditional processes, JBS has said.

It took the concept further by introducing the Essntial collection at furniture materials event Interwoven in the US in mid-November. It gave a figure of 70% for the new collection’s water-saving and said it also uses 40% fewer chemicals than conventional leather.

Another innovation is that articles in the Essntial collection give off a floral or wood aroma. It said it had decided on these two aromas after the research and development team at the group’s Conceria Priante tannery in Italy carried out a study involving 26 different essential odours.

JBS Couros president, Guilherme Motta, said the new collection’s name was a reflection of the leather’s capacity for infusing a piece of furniture with these essential aromas, but also of the strategy of using “only what is essential to produce the leather”.

He added that the group believed the new collection, with its capacity to appeal more than usual to consumers’ sense of smell, would prove attractive in the market. “This comes from the premise that younger generations place greater value on experience than on owning material things. What we are looking to do with this collection is to make consumers’ interaction with these leathers unique and memorable.”