Von Holzhausen bags - opinions from those who already own

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#106
Ok folks, I know I am harping on this (and it hasn't stopped from buying the VH bags), but I was reading some of the press articles on the website and cannot for the life of me find out exactly what the VH process is that makes it more eco friendly than regular vegan leather (which actually isn't eco friendly at all)

Here is a quote from an article in Forbes Magazine:

"All hides are byproducts of the food industry, so that no animal was killed solely for its leather.
Tech-nik Leather is a 100% animal-free vegan leather that uses nearly entirely recycled materials and is free from toxins.

This verbiage to me is full of a lot of saying nothing. And I am also confused. Talks about byproduct of food industry, talks about NO ANIMAL WAS KILLED SOLELY FOR ITS HIDE, so was and animal used, as a byproduct?) then says is animal-free, etc etc. Perhaps they want to keep industry secrets from competitors, but call me truly unable to be informed of the process, what the hell are they talking about when it intimates that there might be animals used (see first sentence quoted above). Then later the vegan stuff.

I do not know if this product is or is not more environmentally friendly than any other vegan leather, no specific info is ever given. Isn't this weird?

But, despite it all, I love the bags and have bought a couple and have a couple on pre-order.

Does anyone else find this somewhat sidestepping things?
 
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#109
I
chessmont said:
Ok folks, I know I am harping on this (and it hasn't stopped from buying the VH bags), but I was reading some of the press articles on the website and cannot for the life of me find out exactly what the VH process is that makes it more eco friendly than regular vegan leather (which actually isn't eco friendly at all)

Here is a quote from an article in Forbes Magazine:

"All hides are byproducts of the food industry, so that no animal was killed solely for its leather.
Tech-nik Leather is a 100% animal-free vegan leather that uses nearly entirely recycled materials and is free from toxins.

This verbiage to me is full of a lot of saying nothing. And I am also confused. Talks about byproduct of food industry, talks about NO ANIMAL WAS KILLED SOLELY FOR ITS HIDE, so was and animal used, as a byproduct?) then says is animal-free, etc etc. Perhaps they want to keep industry secrets from competitors, but call me truly unable to be informed of the process, what the hell are they talking about when it intimates that there might be animals used (see first sentence quoted above). Then later the vegan stuff.

I do not know if this product is or is not more environmentally friendly than any other vegan leather, no specific info is ever given. Isn't this weird?

But, despite it all, I love the bags and have bought a couple and have a couple on pre-order.

Does anyone else find this somewhat sidestepping things?
Click to expand...

I am not sure what you read. But when I first discovered VH she was using real leather. She was sourcing the leather from animals that had been killed for other purposes, i.e. food. Her site stated that no animals were killed just for the purpose of using the hides for her bags. Fast forward to VH phasing out real leather and working with someone to develop what she calls Technik Leather. I have no clue what is ecologically better or worse. I am no chemist. Cannot help you there.
 
#110
chessmont said:
Ok folks, I know I am harping on this (and it hasn't stopped from buying the VH bags), but I was reading some of the press articles on the website and cannot for the life of me find out exactly what the VH process is that makes it more eco friendly than regular vegan leather (which actually isn't eco friendly at all)

Here is a quote from an article in Forbes Magazine:

"All hides are byproducts of the food industry, so that no animal was killed solely for its leather.
Tech-nik Leather is a 100% animal-free vegan leather that uses nearly entirely recycled materials and is free from toxins.

This verbiage to me is full of a lot of saying nothing. And I am also confused. Talks about byproduct of food industry, talks about NO ANIMAL WAS KILLED SOLELY FOR ITS HIDE, so was and animal used, as a byproduct?) then says is animal-free, etc etc. Perhaps they want to keep industry secrets from competitors, but call me truly unable to be informed of the process, what the hell are they talking about when it intimates that there might be animals used (see first sentence quoted above). Then later the vegan stuff.

I do not know if this product is or is not more environmentally friendly than any other vegan leather, no specific info is ever given. Isn't this weird?

But, despite it all, I love the bags and have bought a couple and have a couple on pre-order.

Does anyone else find this somewhat sidestepping things?
Click to expand...
This is what the website lists:

100% Vegan & Cruelty–Free
Low Carbon Footprint
Stain Resistant
Crack Resistant
Water Resistant
Advanced Performance
Premium
Zero Water Pollutants
⅓ the Weight of Leather
No PVC
Minimizes Greenhouse Gas Emissions
No Toxic By–Products
No Cancer Risk
Conserves our Land
Protects Against Deforestation
No Formaldehyde
No Chromium
Less Waste
Fewer Natural Resources Used
Long Lasting

I do find it sidestepping a little bit. They don't tell you exactly what it is. It seems that the benefits are that it's not chrome-
tanned leather (much worse for the environment than vegetable tanned), and it's not PVC. I do agree it would be better to tell us directly what it is rather than what it is not. There's lots of great eco-friendly vegan options like mushroom or pineapple leather, but without more transparency I just assume it's another type of plastic.

Not to knock VH - I still want to get one and I support what they're doing! - but I see where you're coming from.
 
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#112
They aren’t going to tell you what it is exactly. It might be patentable, for one. Another is they are not giving competition any insights or room to overtake them. They know this is a hot space and another competitor will be along shortly.

I understand people are worried about greenwashing, but honestly these guys seem pretty transparent compared to bigger brands who can easily hide environmentally unfriendly practices. I am just happy we now have options because the demand is there!

That said I ordered a medium shopper in oat. I really want to like it because I am trying to both eat and live more sustainably, as well as diminish and hopefully eliminate animal farming in my life at some point.
 
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#113
chessmont said:
I got the large shopper in navy/black and I love it! And that magnet is so strong that things in my bag get stuck to it before I close it if they have any magnetized metal in them! ..
Click to expand...

You know, I just realized after looking at the inside pic, that the magnet will probably kill all plastic hotel key cards. I usually stick them in those cell phone pockets for easy access. Anyone up for testing this?
 
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#115
BittyMonkey said:
They aren’t going to tell you what it is exactly. It might be patentable, for one. Another is they are not giving competition any insights or room to overtake them. They know this is a hot space and another competitor will be along shortly.

I understand people are worried about greenwashing, but honestly these guys seem pretty transparent compared to bigger brands who can easily hide environmentally unfriendly practices. I am just happy we now have options because the demand is there!

That said I ordered a medium shopper in oat. I really want to like it because I am trying to both eat and live more sustainably, as well as diminish and hopefully eliminate animal farming in my life at some point.
Click to expand...
I hope you do. I got the same thing and I really like it!
 
#117
chessmont said:
Ok folks, I know I am harping on this (and it hasn't stopped from buying the VH bags), but I was reading some of the press articles on the website and cannot for the life of me find out exactly what the VH process is that makes it more eco friendly than regular vegan leather (which actually isn't eco friendly at all)

Here is a quote from an article in Forbes Magazine:

"All hides are byproducts of the food industry, so that no animal was killed solely for its leather.
Tech-nik Leather is a 100% animal-free vegan leather that uses nearly entirely recycled materials and is free from toxins.

This verbiage to me is full of a lot of saying nothing. And I am also confused. Talks about byproduct of food industry, talks about NO ANIMAL WAS KILLED SOLELY FOR ITS HIDE, so was and animal used, as a byproduct?) then says is animal-free, etc etc. Perhaps they want to keep industry secrets from competitors, but call me truly unable to be informed of the process, what the hell are they talking about when it intimates that there might be animals used (see first sentence quoted above). Then later the vegan stuff.

I do not know if this product is or is not more environmentally friendly than any other vegan leather, no specific info is ever given. Isn't this weird?

But, despite it all, I love the bags and have bought a couple and have a couple on pre-order.

Does anyone else find this somewhat sidestepping things?
Click to expand...
Apparently VH heard you. I just got a long email about what the Technik is and how it is made!
 
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#120
chessmont said:
I know! I received it too. Though, as a scientist, I still feel I don't have enough of the story. For the general user at least this is better than previous explanations.
Click to expand...
As a fellow scientist (hi!) , I also agree with you about their verbage being rather vague. But @BittyMonkey is most likely dead on re: patentable technology. TL is most definitely head and shoulders above any other non-leather leathers out there in terms of quality and durability. Besides the shopper, I use their pouch and a credit card holder virtually every day and they are absolutely abused (thrown into a gym bag, back pocket of pants kind of thing:D) and at most a credit card holder shows a tiny wear on top edge paint after over a year. I am glad they lowered their prices somewhat (@southernbelle43 and I both can recall how crazy expensive they were pricing things at the beginning) and hope they will have more styles. For one, I've been pestering them with emails asking for a nice zippered tote for a laptop. The one they used to have cost way too much and was not all that attractive :D.
 
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