Alpha 96
A guaranteed 100 percent recycled lining, proven by RA3
The brand
Alpha 96 has three decades in the leather business. The company rebuilt how it operates around reusing raw materials that are not infinitely available, and around making sustainability affordable rather than a premium tier.
Industry
This is the case study that explains why RA3 exists. During their search for sustainable lining materials, Alpha 96 found that a material can be described as recycled when a non-recycled base is mixed with as little as ten to fifteen percent recycled content. For a company staking its brands on the claim, that was not a standard, it was a loophole.
What we made
Linings for the Rise of Rosa, Pylos59, Cross Keys and AroqA brands, guaranteed at 100 percent recycled material. The bags around them are made from leather sourced through Leather Working Group certified factories, with water-based glues.
During our intensive search for sustainable materials for the linings in our bags, we discovered that materials can be called recycled if the non-recycled base is mixed with a minimum of 10-15% recycled material. This was not good enough for us as we want to do the best we can for the environment. Waste2Wear is the only supplier that guarantees 100% recycled material for our bags lining. To prove this, Waste2Wear uses the RA-3 Assurance test method. For our brands Rise of Rosa®, Pylos59®, Cross Keys® and AroqA®, it had to be a guarantee that the percentage values of recycled materials had not been tampered with in any way. We were convinced by Waste2Wear.
Frits Besemer
CEO and Founder, Alpha 96