Our Sustainable Mission

Irish Hide Designs is a luxury furniture and furnishings company that is committed to offering its customers quality products which are made from premium, natural Irish hides. Our mission is to use renewable materials and to be as considerate and kind to the planet as possible.

Our materials are sourced along the Wild Atlantic Way and our products are made using both traditional and modern manufacturing techniques. We take huge pride in the quality of our Irish source materials that are beautiful and unique.

Ethically Sourced Hides

All of our sheepskins and hides come from ethical farms in the West of Ireland where the animals are outdoors for most of the year. They feed on the natural vegetation of Ireland's west coast, breath in the fresh air and enjoy a good quality of life. These animals are mostly bred for the meat industry and our hides are a bi-product of that industry. The abattoirs in Ireland are subject to strict rules and regulations which are enforced and certified by the Irish Department of Agriculture and in accordance with EU regulations.

No animals are harmed to benefit our business. We believe in putting a by-product of the food industry to good use.

Tanning

Since there are no longer any tanneries in Ireland we work closely with a small family owned tannery in Poland whose methods for tanning and dyeing are safe for workers and kind to the environment. Our carefully selected tannery works within the guidelines laid down by the EU and satisfies our own commitment to producing an ethical product.

Packaging

We are currently working on our packaging and plan to only use low impact biodegradable packaging by the end of 2022. We want our customers to receive natural biodegradable products in fully biodegradable packaging.

Distribution

Our distribution partner is DPD, a company that has a dedicated sustainability policy and commitment to the it's people, community and the planet.

Community

We thank our customers for allowing us to support the charities Cuan Mhuire and Tig Linn.

People

Since we started out on this journey 40 years ago we have developed strong friendships with tanneries, manufacturers and designers all over the world who love to work with the best leathers, cowhides and sheepskins. Our global friendships have helped us to develop our expertise and grow our business from being a raw hide sourcing business to a direct to consumer business.

We are still working with friends we made in the early days and have developed new friendships along the way both in Poland and in Ireland. We only work with people we believe in, people we can have a laugh with and build a sustainable business with. We invest and believe in people not 'human resources'!

Provenance and Trust

Irish Hide Designs has achieved Guaranteed Irish certification, the Irish symbol of provenance and trust, in order to offer assurances to our customers that we are who we say we are.

Customer Feedback

As we continue on this journey producing high quality sheepskin and cowhide furnishings and fashion items we would welcome your ideas. This is a process of continuous improvement and we value any customer feedback.