600,000 Wild Deer Culled Annually Used for Portierra's Game Leather

The amount of damage caused to crops by wild deer in Japan is said to reach up to 60 billion yen annually. It seems that 600,000 deer are culled each year in an attempt to mitigate this damage. Some of the culled deer are served in restaurants as game cuisine. But what about the rest?

The company we interviewed this time, A.I.C., operates the game leather brand Portierra, which deals with the hides of culled wild deer. Originally dealing with cowhide, the company seems to have shifted its focus towards solving societal issues like the one mentioned above. They are also committed to being ethical and sustainable, and actively work to promote these values.

Why have wild deer become such a problem? And what is the appeal of deer leather? We asked Daisuke Miki of A.I.C. to share his insights.

Could you tell us about your company's activities?

We are a new entrant in the tanning industry, which originally dealt with livestock leather, but now specializes in wild animals. Our brand 'Portierra' deals with game leather, tanning and selling the hides of deer hunted mainly for sport.