Upcycling leather car seats into must-have bags

SOUTH KOREA – Although cars are among the most recyclable products on the planet, car leather seat covers and nylon airbags are not.

But in South Korea, vehicle waste that would normally end up buried in a landfill is being given a second life, thanks to a startup that manufactures leather fashion accessories.

Founded in June 2015, the Seoul-based upcycling company Morethan launched Continew, a brand of backpacks and wallets made of recovered leather parts from car interiors.

According to its founder Ian Choi, all their products are handmade with quality leather, since the leather used for car interiors is durable and waterproof.

Once removed from cars, the leather is cleaned, dried, ironed and waxed before being sent to a factory in Seoul, where skilled craftspeople craft the bags by hand.

Since process involves exclusively leather waste, Choi says that no animals are harmed and less water is used.

By upcycling waste, he notes that the startup also avoids the need to dye the material.

“For every backpack, 1,642 liters of water are saved,” says Choi.

Today, the company employs two North Korean female refugees and aims to expand to other countries, including the United States.

“Our solution can be applied to any country, because leather seats waste represents an ongoing challenge for all car manufacturers,” he adds. Continew’s