Ten questions before you request a research-stage sample

A bioleather sample of a new sheet material costs the supplier a little and costs you a lot: lab time, a slot on a cutting table, a prototype that may or may not be shown to a customer. If the material is still at the research stage, the cost of an unanswered question is higher still. These ten questions are worth putting to any supplier before you ask for a bioleather sample. Where Kora’s bioleather is concerned, we also say what is known today. In short: Kora lists a flexible sheet made from its coconut processing stream, with sizes on inquiry and a technical data sheet on request. No test data is published and no product status is stated.

1. Is it a prototype or a product?

The answer decides how you treat everything else. A prototype can change between one sample and the next. A product has a specification you can hold the supplier to. For the Kora sheet, the status is not stated; ask directly and ask in writing.

2. What is in it?

Ask for the composition of the finished sheet, not just the base material. That includes any coating, dye, plasticiser or backing. Kora lists the source as its coconut processing stream, and the full composition is not published. Without it, you cannot check the sheet against your restricted substances list or write an accurate material description.

3. What data exists, and how was it produced?

For each property you care about, ask whether a test exists, which method was used, which laboratory ran it, on which sample and when. Kora publishes no tensile, flex, abrasion or water absorption data. “No data” is a legitimate answer; a vague number without a method is not.

4. Can I get the technical data sheet?

Kora states that a technical data sheet and customs code are available on request. Ask for them before the bioleather sample, so that you can see what is claimed on paper and what is left blank.

5. What size, thickness and colour can I expect?

Kora gives dimensions, thickness and colour on inquiry. Ask what range exists today and what is only possible in principle. A sample in the wrong thickness tells you little about the thickness you need.

6. How repeatable is it?

One good sample is not a process. Ask whether the next sample will come from the same batch, the same method and the same operators. If not, expect differences, and plan to test more than one piece.

7. Will it work on my line?

Think about cutting, skiving, stitching, bonding, embossing and printing. Your suppliers may have fixed settings that were developed for other materials. Ask what the supplier knows about processing, and say what you plan to do.

8. What can I say about it?

Claims about origin, environment or animal content apply to the finished product and need evidence behind them. Nothing published for the Kora sheet supports such claims today. Do not plan marketing text on a bioleather sample.

9. What are the commercial terms?

Ask about price, minimum quantity, lead time and who pays for shipping the sample. Kora has not published these for the sheet. Also agree on confidentiality and on who may use the test results.

10. What happens if the tests go badly?

Decide in advance what a fail looks like, and what you and the supplier will do about it: another iteration, a change of specification or a pause. A sample evaluation that has no exit is likely to drift.

How to use the list

Send the questions as a short note with your intended use and the three properties you must measure. A supplier that answers ten questions precisely is telling you how it will work with you later. A supplier that cannot answer them is also telling you something.

Register your interest

If a bioleather sample from Kora is relevant to your work, you can write to us through the sample interest page or the contact page. Tell us your application and what you need to measure. We reply within two business days and we use your answers to decide which tests to run first.