Oliver Co Ditch Apple Leather for New Tea-Infused Wallets
The London-based sustainable wallet brand has switched its core material from apple leather to WASTEA, a tea-leaf alternative.
A few years back I had the pleasure of testing the then-new range of wallets from London-based brand Oliver Co. Back then they were making headlines for their use of apple leather, a PU hybrid material made from the discarded pulp of apples. It was genuinely interesting, and I reviewed the Compact Wallet and sat down with founder Matthew Oliver for an interview that gave me a solid sense of what the brand was trying to do. Nearly six years on, and a lot has changed. Say goodbye to apples, and hello to tea.
Who Are Oliver Co?
Oliver Co is a British accessories brand founded by product designer Matthew Oliver and based in Bermondsey, South London. The brand was born from a frustration that Matthew could not find sustainable leather alternatives that did not compromise on quality, and after spending around two years working with Sustainable Angle, a non-profit that connects small businesses with eco-textile suppliers, he produced an initial batch of 50 wallets from apple leather, sold them to friends and family, and built the company from there.
Oliver Co is now a Certified B Corp, an IndyBest Best Wallet winner, and one of the more credible names in the sustainable accessories space. Their wallets are designed in London and handcrafted by a manufacturing partner in Istanbul, and their entire range is built on the premise that a lower environmental impact should not mean a lower quality product.
I first used wallets from Oliver Co over 4 years ago (and they are still some of my highest viewed videos) and I must say i have always been impressed by the brand. From the obiously sustinable aspect of the wallets, through to cool unique designs - they have a lot going for them.
From Apples to Tea Leaves
Apple leather was a strong opening statement for Oliver Co. The material was made from waste apple pulp sourced from the fruit juice and compote industry in Bolzano, Italy, one of the largest apple-producing regions in the world. It was credible, it told a clear story, and it set the brand apart from competitors still relying on petrochemical-based faux leather.
The new material is called WASTEA, and it is co-developed exclusively for Oliver Co. It is made from Class 4 waste tea leaves sourced from Turkey, leaves that are too high in tannins and caffeine to be used for food, animal feed, or composting. Those leaves are milled, blended with bio-based PU, and coated onto recycled polyester to create a material that is around 65 percent bio-content and OEKO-TEX certified. The finished wallet is designed and made in Istanbul, close to where the tea leaves are sourced, which keeps transportation down and supports the local manufacturing economy.
Why the Switch in material?
I spoke with the team at Oliver Co, and they were straightforward about the reasoning and the switch. The move to WASTEA was driven by what the brand considered a stronger overall balance of sustainability, performance, and finish.
The key difference he pointed to was the energy process. Many fruit-based leathers require an energy-intensive drying stage before the waste material can be processed, something WASTEA sidesteps entirely because the tea waste is already dry. That is a meaningful distinction, not just a marketing talking point.
There is also the waste stream argument. Apple leather upcycles material that already has alternative uses in composting or animal feed. The tea waste that WASTEA uses is Class 4, a lower grade with very limited onward use. In that sense, giving it a second life as a wallet material is a more direct intervention in a waste stream that would otherwise have nowhere useful to go.
On the Question of Which Is Better…
I am deliberately not going to make a direct material comparison here. I have a video planned that will look at both materials side by side in a properly impartial way, and that is the right format for that conversation. What I will say is this: the question of whether WASTEA is a better or worse material than the originally used apple leather in a pure tactile sense is, in my view, beside the point.
When brands switch materials, the cynical read is always that it is a cost-cutting exercise dressed up in sustainability language. Having spoken with Oliver Co directly, and having followed the brand for several years, I do not believe that is what is happening here.
Matthew Oliver built this company from scratch around a genuine belief in what he was making and why. The switch to WASTEA reads to me as a brand that genuinely interrogated its own supply chain, found a material it considered more aligned with its values, and made the change. Whether the end product feels different in the hand is a separate question from whether the decision to switch was the right one. I think it probably was and I can confirm that having handled the new version of the compact wallet.
This new WASTEA Compact Wallet is currently being used as my EDC wallet for a few weeks and a full review is on its way. For now, you can learn more and check out the full range of wallets from Oliver Co by clicking the link below. You can also check out our original review of the compact wallet here (which needs upadting).
Discover Oliver Co Wallets