For 10,000 years, the process of tanning leather has been heavily reliant on large quantities of water. Like any business passionate about sustainability, ECCO has felt uneasy about this, particularly as the need to reduce climate change is now an absolute must. So we set up a task force to see if there was a way of producing the best leather without compromising quality one iota, only using less water. It took research, investment, a cocktail of science, know-how and craftsmanship. It also took five years. The resulting DriTan™ technology turns the tradition of tanning on its head by making use of the hide's inherent water content, rather than drawing on precious natural resources. Not only does this save fresh water, it also reduces the amount of wastewater and chemicals. For the time being, this process is a closely guarded secret but we're making no secret of the fact that we're delighted to be acknowledged in this way.
Combining DriTan™ with Dyneema® leather technology elevated the resulting leather to a tensile-strength over fifteen times stronger than steel, or more than enough to withstand the rigours of the trail. The resulting DriTan™ Dyneema® Leather has been used to craft special new versions of ECCO EXOSTRIKE, ECCO EXOHIKE and ECCO ST.1 ZIPFLEX. These can be found in the ECCO Outsiders collection online, in any well-stocked Outdoor specialty stores and in ECCO stores everywhere.