Saw a stat that blew my mind about leather waste in bookbinding

I was reading this old trade journal from the 1800s and found out that back then about 40% of the animal hide was just thrown out during cutting for book covers. That's nearly half the hide gone to waste. And they only used certain sections like the spine area or the shoulder. Today with modern cutting techniques we get closer to 85% usage. Makes me wonder what other materials we might be wasting without even realizing it. Has anyone else looked into old production numbers for leather or cloth?

2 comments

2 Comments

emery1914d ago

People don't realize how much hide gets wasted in furniture upholstery either.

wesley_martin14d ago

That's a solid point @emery19, always bugs me seeing good leather go to waste.