Why I'm No Longer Buying New Traveler's Notebooks
I've been collecting (hoarding?) travellers notebooks since 2016 now from various brands ranging from Chic Sparrow based in the USA to Elrohir Leather in the UK. Some of my TN's have been bought brand new and directly from the maker, often meaning they have been cut, dyed, created specifically for me as a customer and what I've ordered, some have even been totally custom made to my requests and others have been bought second-hand, pre-loved, whichever term you prefer.
As I've evolved and as I'm discovering more about leather, the environment and what I can do in my own ways to help the planet, I've decided to only buy pre-loved travellers notebooks. I've considered possibly making an exception, you see, some makers will have "second chances" basically TN's that have already been made and are sitting on a shelf and for whatever reason (they may want to make room for new inventory or there minor faults or flaws with the TN's) and purchase something like that if there's a particular one that I really really want but as of yet I'm undecided if I'll make that exception or not.
As mentioned in my previous thoughts on leather blog post, you'll know I'm a vegetarian and I have been for most of my life. Since watching David Attenborough's latest film / documentary that he presents called Extinction : the facts, it has opened my eyes to the full scale of devastation that our planet is suffering because of our choices and our consumerism. If you haven't watched it I highly recommend you do. It's incredibly important.
In the hobby that is travellers notebook collecting, journaling, planning it is very easy to fall down the rabbit hole and want to buy everything we see others using on Instagram, Facebook groups or YouTube. I know because I am very guilty of this. I'm choosing now to change and to be more considerate of my purchases, I don't need everything. It won't be easy to do because it's become almost a habit. But it's something that must be done and that I'll also feel good about doing.
Some will think I'm completely crazy for my reasonings behind not buying new leather products anymore and that is OK. I've been thinking about the life, the animal (cows) must of lived before they've been turned into this leather product. I'll be clear and say I don't have a problem with people eating meat, I have a huge problem with industrialised farming and the way animals are treated prior to being killed and how they are killed. I am not naïve, I know that these cows wouldn't of died of old age in nice green fields with flowers.
Earlier this year, before I started really thinking about my TN's, I started to become uncomfortable with the leather ones I own. I've decided I'll not be uncomfortable with them, I'll use them and love them, travel with them and write in them. I'll honour the animal that it once was and be mindful of the fact that it was once part of a living thing. We need to be conscious of what we are using and buying, conscious of our impact on the environment.
Lastly, there are some great benefits to buying pre-loved travellers notebooks, some of my favourites in my collection are actually second-hand ones. You usually save money which is a great bonus and you can actually see the exact piece of leather (TN) that you'll be buying. Many times when buying a TN from a maker you just see their stock image and we all know how much variation there is with leather, each piece is so unique so it's nice to know *exactly* what you are getting before you buy. it's also fun being part of BST (buy sell trade) Facebook groups and waiting for your dream TN to pop up for sale , which they do!
to conclude , even if the leather has come from the food industry, which I believe most does, that animal at some point has suffered to eventually become that piece of leather and I personally don't want to be part of that consumerism chain for new leather products anymore.
If you got this far, thank you for reading my rambles and if you take anything away from this, please go and watch Extinction the facts , presented by David Attenborough
- Ella
It's a complex issue but I do think one of the problems with a 'buy only second hand' approach is that it is likely to have a devastating affect on the handful of small leatherworking businesses that produce TNs. And right now--given that Covid has affected everyone's businesses and incomes--small producers are in dire need of support if they are to continue working. Put the small ethical companies out of business, and then the only sources of items are huge multi-nationals like Amazon and supermarket chains, that will be selling leather notebooks for 20 bucks--raised and killed in third world countries with no animal welfare laws (and slaughterhouses with no welfare controls), tanned using unregulated, environmentally devastating chemicals, At Elrohir we aim to have as ethical a working policy as we can--we charge fairly, we use very basic packaging to reduce impact on landfill (not endless plascticised giftwrap and ribbons, lol), we source leather from open range beef cattle, we no longer use soft, floppy chrome tanned leather which is environmentally damaging in how it is tanned. We've just ditched our major supplier after they started to sell live-exported horse leather. Personally I am not convinced that leather itself is 'ethical' (I'm a lifelong dietary vegan) but in environmental terms using a byproduct of the meat industry is currently less damaging than sourcing plastics or even plant based fabrics, simply because the meat industry's infrastructure is already there and established whilst petrochemicals ARE unsustainable and polluting, and increasing land use over and above that already in use for production is going to have an environmental impact on creatures' lives, probably over and above that of beef farming (pesticide and fertiliser use being prime culprits). It isn't a straightforward issue, but ultimately, if we're to survive as a species, then we need to move to plant-based diets, but gradual change and adaptation and perhaps rather more advanced agricultural practices have got to be the key factors in change. In the meantime--buy fewer things, but better things. Support artisan production. Reduce useage of one-use items, packaging, unnecessary travel and so on-- and leather wise...don't buy chrome tanned cheap leather (whoever the maker is, and however lovely and soft it is, and whatever the markup is), ask what the source of the leather is. Remember if it is cheap, there is a reason for it, because decent leather is expensive, and don't buy leather produced in countries with no animal welfare laws (which will probably soon be the UK, actually. Thanks, Brexit. We'll be sourcing all our leather from Europe and elsewhere). It's probably not a case of withdrawing from consumerism, but making consumerism count--HOWEVER. Small lifestyle changes are going to make no difference whatsoever, in the grand scheme of things, though it is good for people to be doing them (and I am 100% behind anyone who chooses to not use animal products at all). I think if we are to make any lasting change it has got be political--so, vote. Campaign, and vote. And not for three year old tyrants and clueless English public schoolboys, but for progressive policies that will make the difference between our species seeing next century, or not :rofl: That is where we are at right now--it may be subject to change at any moment if new information comes our way, of course. :)
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