Most luggage today is made from plastic derived from crude oil. We believe there is a better alternative that is both in synch with our environment as well as meets the demands of durability and lightness that today's travelling require.
At Alstermo we are committed to using our craftsmanship and sustainable materials to create the highest quality products that lasts a lifetime and leaves as little impact on our environment as possible.
By doing what we've done since 1804 in Alstermo, Sweden.
The most sustainable product is the one never made, and we make our bags with the philosophy that they should last a lifetime. We embrace the signs of wear and tear as a natural part of their beauty, however, should the need arise, we are delighted to offer repairs.
We work with materials and partners who share our commitment and most components are sourced and manufactured locally. The main components of our bags are vulcanized fibreboard made from recycled paper, vegetable tanned leather, OEKO-tex certified linen and FSC-certified birch wood.
This means that the majority of the product is fully bio-degradable and can be returned to nature at the end of its life. We are however not done and will continue to develop until none of our components are harmful to people and environment.
For further information and origin of our components please see below, and should you have comments, questions or suggestions we would love to hear from you.
VULCANIZED FIBRE BOARD
Our main component is vulcanized PASCO fibre board manufactured by Hokuetso in their Nagaoka mill in Japan. It is a light material yet incredibly strong and durable. Made from recycled paper and pulp using renewable raw material cellulouse, it decomposes biologically to CO2 and water in an ordinary home compost.
Its properties makes it very well suited for the demands of a daily travel companion, and is significantly better for the environment compared to plastic or aluminum.
VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER
Our leather details are made from vegetable tanned leather using hides from Swedish farms with full traceability down to the individual farm. It comes from Tärnsjö Garveri and is cut and sewn in Rimforsa, deep in the forests of Ostrogothia.
At Tärnsjö Garveri they use bark extract for tanning the leather. Vegetable tanned leather does not contain any toxic substances such as azo-dyes, nickel, PCP or chrome, and can be naturally discarded at the end of it’s life. It also ages more naturally and, we believe, creates a product that only becomes more beautiful with age.
SWEDISH BIRCH WOOD
Our frames are made from Swedish Birch wood from Ädelträ in Norrhult close to our mill. It is both FSC and PEFC certified. The certification means that our wood meets standards in terms of responsible harvesting, fair employment, preservation of biodiversity and with respect to community and cultural rights.
LINEN
We use linen to line our bags and for straps. It is a natural material that becomes even more beautiful with wear and age. Our linen comes from Swedish Linnehem and is untreated and OEKO-tex certified, which means that no harmful substances have been used in its production.
PAINT
We use water-based paint from Sherwin-Williams.
LOCKS
Our locks are handmade in Varese, Italy by MLM Mazzola SRL.
LUGGAGE TROLLEYS
The luggage trolleys are designed by us and components comes from Travetti SRL in Varese, with leather from Tärnsjö Garveri
WHEELS
Our whisper-silent wheels comes from Hintomoto in Tokyo, Japan.
OTHER PARTS
Other parts such as studs, hinges, screws etc. are either sourced locally or made specially in Alstermo.