Key systems within our circular model are our Care Products and Education we offer so that customers know how to look after their leather goods to extend their life; the in-house Refurbishment Service, which helps keep our bags in circulation for as long as possible, and our Buyback Initiative, which allows customers to re-sell us pre-loved bags they no longer use, so that we can give them a second life by pairing them up with a new owner.

Our annual Club Yu Mei Archive Events offer recycled, repurposed, and exclusive samples, Seconds, past season pieces, or Buyback Bags refurbished through our in-house atelier—all at exclusive archive prices.

Yu Mei is committed to the stewardship over the regenerative lifecycle of our products and we are researching ways to improve our products’ natural degradation back into the land to be recognised by nature and improve soil health for generations to come. To encourage the repurposing and recycling of the leather used in Yu Mei bags, Yu Mei has a Buyback Initiative which works to extend a product’s useful life through mending and refurbishing. These bags are resold at our annual Archive events, which are also a key mechanism for utilising scraps and offcuts that are sent back from offshore production; and we work closely with our factories on innovative ways to achieve efficient cutting yields to minimise production waste.

As leather is a natural product, the tanning process can create variation through hides. Traditionally, brands may only accept leather of a certain finish, however, we work with our manufacturers to find solutions, such as innovative cutting practices, that ensure the premium quality of Yu Mei products is upheld while limiting potential waste.