What Werner Christ Says About His Business
We are a German family-owned company with production facilities in
Germany, Uruguay and in the Philippines and all over the world
through the specialty stores for the specific product line. We
has been manufacturing high quality leather and sheepskin products for over
For 50 years and since the beginning of the 90s, our expertise has also been used in the medical sheepskin product range.
Our own tannery is one of the most modern in the world and provides
us ideal conditions to treat the lambskin in its raw state with a special process. We only select the very best raw materials for our range of products – we manufacture everything in our own premises – and we guarantee a consistently high level of quality.
Our tannery has received many awards from environmental organizations in recent years for our exemplary facilities and its equipment and working conditions. We are the only tannery in the world that we know of that does not release any toxins into the environment. We also refuse any involvement whatsoever with the export of live animals.
We use renewable energy sources to heat water.
Tanneries need large amounts of water. Our Toryal tannery uses 120,000 liters of water every day, which must first be heated to a temperature of 80°C. This requires 3,600 liters of heating oil every day, but since 2005 we have pursued the ambitious goal of completely transitioning to renewable energy sources. This goal has been a reality since April 12, 2007.
The first step was to build a solar power plant, which immediately provided savings of 20%. At the same time, eucalyptus trees were planted, and today there are about 600,000 trees over an area covering 380 hectares. A quick-connect machine makes wood chips from the wood, and these chips not only help to optimize combustion, but also reduce the wood needed by 5% compared to burning logs.
The naturally occurring carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion process are compensated by the new trees planted. Toryal thus produces no carbon dioxide emissions and has secured its renewable energy source for the next 50 years – an important contribution when it comes to protecting the environment.
Processing:
After tanning and while still wet, the leather side of each sheepskin is buffed by hand until it is even, smooth and silky. The skins are then dried and with the help of special machines they "plate" (a similar process is ironing), combs and the skins and get them in their finished form. They are then sorted according to quality class.
All skins go through several processes only in the pre-production phase before continuing to be made into finished products. For example, each lambskin is carefully examined and classified according to its particular use before being sent to the production department.
Each hide is unique and different in terms of the texture of wool and leather. All the processes involved are carried out exclusively by trained specialists to ensure that the leather is used in the best possible way. With experienced experts critically scrutinizing each step, hides are then cut to size by hand using special leather knives.
Special attention is paid to the structure of the seams when the products are manufactured so that they cannot give rise to any pressure points. All products are made by hand using special leather and fur sewing machines.
The final inspection means that the product is examined for any defects and all excess threads and protruding hairs are removed. The product is then labeled and packed appropriately for shipping.
Declaration of approval from the Tanning School in Reutlingen
WERNER CHRIST lambskin has an approval decision issued by the Tanning School's research institute in Reutlingen. This guarantees that all products manufactured in the WERNER CHRIST tannery Toryal SA have been tested for harmful substances and are produced in accordance with environmentally friendly methods.