Sustainable
Here at Wild Piccolo we only use sustainable materials to craft our dog gear.
Read more about why we use cork and hemp.
Cork fabric is the vegan alternative to leather, It is durable, strong and water-resistant. Alongside that, it is also extremely soft, flexible and lightweight for dogs to wear.
Cork comes from a harvested layer of bark form the cork oak tree (or Quercus suber). Which can be commonly found in Spain, Portugal and France. - Ours comes from Portugal!
Cork Oaks are harvested every 9 years. this process is natural and does not harm the tree - thus making the harvesting of cork 100% sustainable. In fact, the same tree can be harvested every 9 years for over 200 years!
Once the cork bark arrives in, it is boiled in water to make the cork cells expand so it becomes more malleable and easier to work it. There are no harsh chemicals used in this process (unlike a lot of materials!).
Then, it is shaved down to very thin sheets and attached to a cotton/recycled polyester backing. Following that, it is printed with natural dyes into the unique, colourful patterns we use to handcraft our dog products.
Hemp is a super plant! One of the most helpful plants on Earth. Hemp can be used for food, shelter, clothes and energy. It's fibres (which we use!) can be used in paper, canvas, rope and fabrics. Which is then made into the webbing we use.
If that’s not enough, it is easy and cost-effective to grow plus, hemp improves the health of the soil it is grown in, yes, really! It only takes 4-6 months to grow and returns 60-70% of the nutrients it takes from the soil. hemp also uses 6 times less water than cotton to grow and has no need for agrochemicals as hemp naturally produces it's own organic compounds that are anti-bacterial and anti-fungal for repelling pests.
Industrial hemp is a non-reactive strain of the cannabis family. Therefore, hemp products are 100% safe and legal to use, which is fantastic, because hemp is so beneficial for the environment!
This amazing plant is the traditional rope making fibre due to it's flexibility, strength, and resistance to water damage. in the past, it was extremely important as it was used to make the longest lasting and best ropes, riggings, nets, and sails.
We use pure organic hemp webbing for our leashes, the breaking strength of hemp is legendary. which is why we are happy you use this for our leashes.
Lastly, Hemp is biodegradable – taking only 90 days to decay!