0:00:00 > 0:00:01From the clothes we wear
0:00:01 > 0:00:03to the cars we drive...
0:00:03 > 0:00:06From what we use to look good
0:00:06 > 0:00:08to what we use to relax,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11our lives are full of products.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14And our products are full of animals.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20In the past few years, I've learned quite a lot
0:00:20 > 0:00:23about how the meat we eat reaches our plates.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26But I've always wondered what happens to the bits of the animal
0:00:26 > 0:00:30that we don't eat. And it turns out that these leftover parts
0:00:30 > 0:00:32are made into things we use every day...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35That's a symbolic noise for, like, leather.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38..as well as some things we couldn't even imagine.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40GUNSHOT
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Oh, my God!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44My face is on fire!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48I've never ever smelt anything like that.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52To find out how, I'm going on an extraordinary journey
0:00:52 > 0:00:55to see these raw animal parts transformed
0:00:55 > 0:00:59into shiny new products. And I'll be joined by the people who use them
0:00:59 > 0:01:01to see what they make of it.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05- The sheep need to get slaughtered. - Will we actually be in the room?
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Oh, my God!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10HE GROANS AND LAUGHS
0:01:10 > 0:01:12That had a testicle on it!
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Oh, don't film me being sick!
0:01:14 > 0:01:19We'll be going behind the doors of unknown companies and into hidden worlds.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23That is such a weird vision - just skin hanging there.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28This is when we see what's inside the chest.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- 'Getting hands-on.'- I don't think that's going to go in there!
0:01:31 > 0:01:36'And discovering what makes these animal leftovers so indispensable.'
0:01:36 > 0:01:38- Why am I looking? - What am I doing here with these?
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Could knowing that so many of our favourite items
0:01:42 > 0:01:45contain animals change the way we feel about them forever?
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Tonight I'm looking at the cow.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Be it burgers, steaks or bolognese,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01we Brits munch our way through two million cows every year.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04But what we get from the cow doesn't stop at dinner.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07All the bits that we can't eat, from the horns to the hooves,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10can be turned into products that we use,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12like car-seat covers, tennis racquets,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14even posh china plates.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16It doesn't even look anything like it.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20To find out how, I'm going to be following these meaty leftovers
0:02:20 > 0:02:22from abattoirs...
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Nah. This is wrong.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25..to shops and showrooms.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29It was all horrible. I didn't like it. And now I like it. It's nice.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32And I'm going to be joined by my fellow consumers...
0:02:32 > 0:02:33How's that?
0:02:33 > 0:02:37..to see how they feel about using animals in this way.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40- I feel terrible!- Do you?
0:02:40 > 0:02:43I'm starting my journey of discovery with the cow by-product
0:02:43 > 0:02:45that's probably most familiar - leather.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48It's a fabric that's all around us, and it's used in everything
0:02:48 > 0:02:52from coats and couches to shoes and handbags.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55But most of the leather from British cows
0:02:55 > 0:02:57ends up being used in the car industry,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59so that's the route I'm going to follow,
0:02:59 > 0:03:04and discover what it takes to transform a live cow into a luxury car seat.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06I'm starting in Derbyshire,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09and a place that's all too familiar to me - the abattoir.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12But I'm not going alone.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- THEY LAUGH - Meet bar manager Curtis,
0:03:16 > 0:03:21his friends Calvin and Jordan, both students.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23ENGINE ROARS
0:03:23 > 0:03:26These boys like to look good when they're out on the town,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29and a nice car is an essential part of the image.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31You wouldn't like to pull up outside a club
0:03:31 > 0:03:35in some old battered-up banger. You'd hide that on the next street,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38walk out the club, go round, jump in your rod and get off.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40It's about being the alpha male.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44If I pull up in front of a club and I've got a BMW X6
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- and a 2010 plate...- Yeah, yeah.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51..then, some women... They're not worth having, they're that material,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53but they'll be, "Oh, he's got money."
0:03:54 > 0:03:57In a high-end motor, only one fabric will do.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59I want a leather interior.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02It's got to be tan, like. It can't be cream or black.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06You know that one that's not red and it's not cream? Like in between.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10You get that leather sound, and you're like, "Oh!"
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Got an expensive seat, haven't you?
0:04:12 > 0:04:16It's just that noise - that's a symbolic noise for, like, leather.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20But have they ever considered where their car seat started its life?
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Nobody knows where leather comes from.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Nobody thinks about that kind of thing.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28They just want to see that leather in the car. It's a statement,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30and it is quite comfy, actually.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32No-one thinks where anything comes from at all.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35It's on a shelf, so as far as you're concerned,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38if you buy summat from Tesco, it's from Tesco.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40COWS MOO
0:04:40 > 0:04:42And how do they feel about what's to come?
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Anyone who sees something die or killed,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49you're going to have some type of emotional reaction. It may change your opinion.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51It may change the way you feel about things.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Farm animals are not animals. They're just a commodity to us.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59- They're products. - They're like... They're a material.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- They're not even an animal. - COWS MOO
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Their first stop on the journey from cow to car seat
0:05:05 > 0:05:08is the abattoir.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17'We've come to meet John Mettrick at his family-run butchery business
0:05:17 > 0:05:22'in the Peak District. The Mettricks operate what's known as a best-practice abattoir,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26'which means animal welfare is a top priority.'
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Welcome to our small abattoir here in the Derbyshire hills.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34This is Carlos here, the vet. He's looking at the animals at the moment,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37to make sure they're fit and healthy for slaughter.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I don't want to get too close. They're in a strange environment.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43They've come straight from the farm an hour and half from here,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and although they've been rested overnight,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49we don't want to bolt them by strange faces looking in,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52because it's very important to keep the animals calm.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55What do you think, looking at the animals now, lads?
0:05:55 > 0:05:58They don't look too happy. They look like they know what's...
0:05:58 > 0:06:01I tend to feel a bit sorry for them. Seeing the process now,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03that they actually are living,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and they're going to be dead in half an hour,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09it's the beginning of something pretty shocking.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11And that makes you feel a bit emotional?
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Well, just, like... I'm not looking at it as just a piece of meat.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17I'm actually seeing it as a living being.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21You have to think that these animals have had a tremendous quality of life.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24They haven't been factory farmed.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26This period is a very short period,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29considering the quality of life they've had before.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- That's why I am comfortable with it. - Do you feel any emotion
0:06:32 > 0:06:35when you're killing the cows, John?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38If you enjoy this process, there's something wrong with you.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40It's more of a respect for the animal
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and for the slaughterer, the way that he handles the animal.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- It's all about that.- Are you thinking of your car-seat covers?
0:06:47 > 0:06:50It doesn't look like leather material.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- It looks like fur on the car. - You don't think of the process.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56You don't think of a potential car seat.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58You don't think "That could be a couch at DFS,"
0:06:58 > 0:07:01or be in a BMW. You just think it's a cow.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- What's next, John?- These animals will go through a door
0:07:05 > 0:07:08in the side there. We need to go and get kitted up
0:07:08 > 0:07:12- to see the next part of the process, so if you'd follow me...- OK.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20'As the boys and I pull on our wellies, old memories return.'
0:07:20 > 0:07:22It's an unforgettable smell.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27It's not something you ever look forward to.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Struggling to get these on me.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34I really don't know how they're going to react.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36All right. We're in the internal lairage.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39The animals will come through that door and go along this race,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43which is at a slight incline, because cattle always move better
0:07:43 > 0:07:46on an incline. And then when we get to this point here,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50the animal will go in there, the door will be closed,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52and the slaughterer will go up on this gantry,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55pick up the captive bolt gun, poke his hand over the top
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and shoot the animal in the centre of the forehead.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01OK? Now, this here is the captive bolt gun,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04which is used for stunning cattle. It doesn't shoot a bullet.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07It shoots a piece of metal out - a bolt -
0:08:07 > 0:08:11into the animal's head. So you put the charge in the back there.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14This would be then put on the animal's forehead,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18and the bolt penetrates the skull and renders the animal brain-dead.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21All its sensations are gone. Everything's gone.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25- It's effectively out. - It's a cabbage, basically?
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- It's gone completely. - You think you could do it?
0:08:28 > 0:08:31- Shoot the cow in the head?- Yeah.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33You'd get affected emotionally after you'd done it.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36I reckon if you did it... I don't know. It depends.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40It takes a certain type of character to be able to kill every day.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Next we make our way through to the slaughter hall,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45where each cow's life is ended.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Once he's shot the animal in the centre of head,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51the animal will drop. We'll release this handle here,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55and the animal will roll out onto the floor in front of us here.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- Right here?- Right here.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02Being on this side, knowing that a cow, in about two minutes or so,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06is going to drop out at my feet, brain-dead, is a bit...worrying.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Are you then going to start the butchering process?
0:09:09 > 0:09:11That's when the process will start.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21My heart is going sick.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25GUN CLICKS
0:09:25 > 0:09:27That was it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28Oh!
0:09:28 > 0:09:30I just don't like it.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Right?
0:09:34 > 0:09:37So now he's going to lift the animal up at an angle,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40and he'll push it along this gantry here, right,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43over the top of the bleed area.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Nah, nah, nah. This is wrong, you know.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49He's had those knives in a steriliser.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53He's got two knives there. One is for cutting through the fur,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57which he's done now, then the second knife cuts the main blood vessels.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00He's gone through the carotid artery there,
0:10:00 > 0:10:05all the blood vessels leading to the head are now severed.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10So that's the jugular vein and the carotid artery cut.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14All that kicking is those muscles shutting down,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16the chemical reactions.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22It never gets any easier to watch, I can tell you that.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25'Once the cow's head has been removed and it's bled out,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29'the carcase is laid in a cradle where the dressing process begins.'
0:10:29 > 0:10:32This knife Brian's got now is called the roughing knife.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36He finds the joint, cracks it open.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39That's what gets me. Because I can see the red meat inside,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- I'm already starting to think of it as...- Food.- Yeah.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47Now it's going to become something else, isn't it?
0:10:47 > 0:10:49So he's cut along the midline of the beast,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52from the neck right down to the tail.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56So the hide's gradually coming away, working from the inside out.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59'Removing the hide is an incredibly skilled job.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01'The slaughterman works from the inside out,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04'so the dirty side of the hide never touches the meat.'
0:11:04 > 0:11:07You've got a seam there just between the actual hide
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and the fat. It's very important that, when he does that,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13he hits that seam, because if he cut through the fat,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16he'll disturb blood vessels. They'll actually burst,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18and he won't be able to see where he's going.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22You note he's making long strokes with his knife, as well.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26That's quite deliberate, because he's not wanting to score the inside of the hide.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29And that scoring, which is the roughness,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31will mean that the hide will be worth less money,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35so it's long, smooth cuts you can see he's making, yeah?
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Looking a bit peaky there.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41- Are you all right? - Yeah. I'm all right.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45I'm just not going to try and pretend that this is all right.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Do you know what I mean?
0:11:47 > 0:11:50You're so far removed from this process,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53unless you're a slaughterman,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56because it comes to us nicely in a little packet,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and it tastes nice, and...
0:12:00 > 0:12:04..the leather, it feels nice. You don't think of it like this.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06'Once the hide is partially removed
0:12:06 > 0:12:08'and the animal's chest has been sawn open,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11'it's hoisted up on a device known as a beef tree.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14'The remainder of the skin is cut away,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18'and the separated hide goes to the offal house.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23'At this stage the carcase is also eviscerated,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27'meaning all of its internal organs are removed.'
0:12:27 > 0:12:29HE LAUGHS
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Oh...
0:12:32 > 0:12:35'The major organs are kept to be inspected
0:12:35 > 0:12:37'for any signs of disease.'
0:12:37 > 0:12:39- You know what they are? - Kidneys.- Pancreas.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Kidneys. These are being put here for the meat inspector.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47'The carcase is then split in two, with any risk material removed,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50'before the meat is inspected by the vet
0:12:50 > 0:12:51'and passed as fit for consumption.'
0:12:51 > 0:12:55I'm stood next to organs that are dead, but they're still twitching.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59For me, that's, like... That's enough.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03'With the cows dispatched, we go to see what happens to the hides.'
0:13:03 > 0:13:05- This is the offal house we're going into now.- Lovely!
0:13:05 > 0:13:08This is classed as a dirty part of the abattoir,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12so we don't need to be kitted up with all our hygienic clothing.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14This is the chute which the hide comes through.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Lewis is just pulling it through now.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20That's off one of the Belgian blue heifers
0:13:20 > 0:13:22that we saw earlier. This is the back end here.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25You can see the tail there, and that's the neck end there.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Would any of you like to have a feel of the hide?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- Yeah.- Right. OK.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33- What bit should I feel? - Wherever you want.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35He likes it! Look!
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Grab it! How's the other side?
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Yeah. It just feels... You know when you grab a dog
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- by the scruff of the neck? - Yeah.- There you go.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47When the recession hit, the price of that hide dropped
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- to as little as £9.- For all of that?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Yes. That's when the car industry was in trouble.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55They weren't needing the leather interiors.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58We were only getting nine quid for it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02'It's been a challenging and thought-provoking morning.'
0:14:02 > 0:14:05During the process of programmes that I've made,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08I've witnessed that, with different animals,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- about 60 times, and I don't think I want to see it again.- Yeah.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14But every time I think about it and go round and round,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18I can't think of a better way... If you're going to do this,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21if you're going to eat meat, if you're going to use meat
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- and animal products... - If it has to be done that way,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26that is probably the perfect way of doing it.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32We've seen just one cow stripped of its hide,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35but it's only one of thousands removed in abattoirs every day
0:14:35 > 0:14:37to be turned into leather.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41To find out how this mass of soggy skins is transformed
0:14:41 > 0:14:44into classy car interiors, we head north to Glasgow,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46home of the Scottish Leather Group,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48the nation's largest producer of cow leather.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50COW MOOS
0:14:50 > 0:14:51Hey, Gareth.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54'First stop is the tannery, where we meet Gareth Scott
0:14:54 > 0:14:57'and get kitted out for a tour of the plant.'
0:14:58 > 0:15:01The tannery processes two thirds of all the cow hides
0:15:01 > 0:15:03produced by British abattoirs.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05That's some 10,000 every week.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08This is a delivery of hides which came in this morning
0:15:08 > 0:15:11out of an abattoir in the south of England.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14These have been produced over the past two days.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17First we check to see that they've been iced sufficiently,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19that the hides are preserved OK.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21'The hides are also weighed...'
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- What do you reckon? 35 KG?- 40.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27'..and graded for quality.'
0:15:27 > 0:15:31There's a hole in the hide, so this is a grade-three hide
0:15:31 > 0:15:34rather than a one or a two.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38After inspection, the hides go through a process called liming.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45There's a conveyor belt of skin!
0:15:45 > 0:15:48That's just what we would call the lime drums.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51It takes 24 hours to process, so these will be ready the following day.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54When they come out, the hair's off the grain of the hide,
0:15:54 > 0:15:59and the fat on the flesh side is swollen ready for the fleshing.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02How many hides can this tumble-dryer hold?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04In the region of 200 hides.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Imagine getting stuck in that drum!
0:16:21 > 0:16:24'24 hours later, the hides emerge hair-free,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27'and are hung on a conveyor belt.'
0:16:27 > 0:16:31That is just such a weird vision,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34just skin hanging there,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36moving around slowly.
0:16:42 > 0:16:43Really dark.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Horrible, that, innit?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50The sounds, as well. You hear that sound,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52- like... - HE MAKES GRINDING NOISE
0:16:52 > 0:16:55- That sound, it's like a moaning. - It's like the cow moaning.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- It sounds like the cow going... - HE MOANS
0:16:58 > 0:17:01It's just the smell. The smell's getting to me.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05It's not the fact that it's a cow. It's just the smell. Horrible.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Look at that! That's, like... That's, like, dead skin.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12They're just hanging dead skin up there.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15It's starting to feel more like leather now.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18It's so thick! Look how thick it is.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22That's inside the cow. That's where the udder goes to.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Next the hides are put through a fleshing machine
0:17:26 > 0:17:28that removes any remaining fat and tissue.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Here you can see the hides that have been fleshed.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- It feels so rubbery. - It's really rubbery, isn't it?
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Once all the excess fat is removed,
0:17:40 > 0:17:44the remaining hide is mechanically split in two.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46This is them coming through the splitter,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49where we take the grain off the hide, which is the hair side,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53and you're left with the flesh side of the hide.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56While the split can be turned into suede or sausage skins,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59the grain half of the hide continues on to become high-quality leather.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02But first it must go through a tanning process.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Here chemicals are added to the hides to preserve them,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09and 24 hours later, the hides are transformed into leather.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11It's just a big drum of chamois leathers now.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Yeah. Each stage takes it further and further away from being a cow.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Now it's not a cow.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19COWS MOO
0:18:19 > 0:18:21When the tanning process is completed,
0:18:21 > 0:18:25the leather, now dried and packed, travels to the finishing plant.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Here it's used in a range of custom-made products
0:18:28 > 0:18:30from luxury airline seats to high-end car interiors,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33including those used by Aston Martin.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36'Technical manager Michael Carnachan explains more.'
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- Has this come from next door? - From next door, yes.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42So it's the same material you met next door,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45only this time it's been through a shaving machine.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48How many of these would it take to do the interior of a car?
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Just doing the car seats, two to three hides.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54OK. That's not as many as I thought.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58An Aston Martin will range from six hides to ten hides,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01- depending on the...- Ten hides?
0:19:01 > 0:19:03COWS MOO
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Next the shaved leather is dried, dyed and sprayed
0:19:06 > 0:19:08to fix the chosen colour.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11This is it. This is the finished product.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14The product's been finished. It'll be lab approved
0:19:14 > 0:19:16for customers' use. It's durable,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19and it'll basically go in an Aston Martin car seat.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Now that it's like this, I think, "Screw the cow."
0:19:22 > 0:19:24- Really?- Yeah.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26I just think, "Look how nice it is!"
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Still, you know where it came from. You were there.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32But it don't matter now. We've got what we want.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- Really?- That's what happens with most people, though.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37- They just forget. - You have to remember,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40the cow would never be killed for this piece of leather.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44That's what's good about it - that a cow is killed for meat.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46This is a by-product that's profitable.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49It's a good thing. Better than going in the landfill.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52It's a beautiful product. But I care that it is from a cow.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55- That adds a value. - What we've been through,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59we've been through, like, tragedy, death, blood, gore -
0:19:59 > 0:20:02"Ooh, this is nice!" Do you know what I mean?
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- Like... - Yeah, but that's what I'm saying.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08It was all bad. It was horrible. I didn't like it.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10And now I like it. Now it's nice.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- So you forgot about the cow. - I forgot already.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18To make its way onto desirable car doors,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22seats and dashboards, the finished leather is pattern-cut
0:20:22 > 0:20:26and hand-stitched before being fitted into every freshly minted car
0:20:26 > 0:20:29off the production line. And it's here that the cow arrives
0:20:29 > 0:20:31at its final destination.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39COWS MOO
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Oh!
0:20:41 > 0:20:44We've now witnessed the entire journey,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46from living cow to leather car seat.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Is it going to change anything for you?
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I don't think it will change anything.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55I'm more appreciative of where things come from,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58having respect for the people and the animals
0:20:58 > 0:21:02and what they're used for. It'll make me appreciate, when I buy something,
0:21:02 > 0:21:07that I understand where it's come from and how it's been made, and probably enjoy it more.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11It's not bothered me at all, really. The only thing I've took from this
0:21:11 > 0:21:13is a lot of respect for the people in the production line
0:21:13 > 0:21:17- and the people who make this happen. - Understand the cost a bit more, too?
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- Yeah, definitely. - There's a lot of effort
0:21:20 > 0:21:23that's put into producing the leather from its raw state
0:21:23 > 0:21:25so you can understand why the price gets hiked up.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Even from the slaughter, a lot of people have this image
0:21:29 > 0:21:33of meat just being hacked off a bone, but it's not.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36When we were at the abattoir, it was so skilful.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Is there anything that you've seen, that we've all seen together,
0:21:40 > 0:21:41that you think is wrong?
0:21:41 > 0:21:45I think the whole process is morally and ethically correct,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48because it's the best way to do it for the cow.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51It don't go through no pain, and every single bit of the cow is used
0:21:51 > 0:21:55- to somebody's advantage. - Using the meat is fine.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Using the skin is fine. The whole process is fine,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02- apart from the way they kill the cow.- Will you stop eating meat?
0:22:02 > 0:22:04- No, I won't. - There's the moral dilemma.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07So I've just contradicted myself. But I'm not worried.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10COW MOOS
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Taking a raw cowhide and turning it into a cool car interior
0:22:14 > 0:22:16means one pretty amazing makeover.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21But I've discovered an equally surprising transformation
0:22:21 > 0:22:25that begins with a cow in a field and ends with a champion at Wimbledon. Anyone for tennis?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Loved by many of the world's best players,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33natural gut strings have helped win match points on tennis courts
0:22:33 > 0:22:37for more than a century. And yes, they started life with a cow.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43To find out more, I'm joined by two top young tennis players
0:22:43 > 0:22:47from Brighton University, keen to know about the origin of these special strings.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52'I'm Liberty. I'm 19 years old,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54'and I'm training to be a PE teacher.'
0:22:54 > 0:22:59'I'm Jack, 21 years old. I do sports studies with PE teaching.'
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Both have been playing tennis since they were kids.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06My killer shot would be the forehand.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09'I can generate quite a lot of power.'
0:23:09 > 0:23:12My favourite stroke, it's got to be the single-handed backhand
0:23:12 > 0:23:14and top spin.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19It's not just Jack's racquet skills that he uses
0:23:19 > 0:23:21to gain advantage on court.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23I wouldn't say I'm a cocky person at all,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25but when I play, I try and be cocky
0:23:25 > 0:23:28to get under the other person's skin a bit.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31He likes to hit an amazing shot and then go like this,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34like, round of applause from the crowd.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39You're, like... You're playing a match with no-one watching.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42It's an individual battle out there.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46- If it came to a battle between the two of them?- He'd destroy me.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- It's the long and short of it. - Yeah, I would.- He would.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51He would genuinely destroy me.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Like every tennis player, the racquet they choose is vital to performance.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58We like to think with Nadal's racquet we'd play like Nadal,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01but it doesn't always work in real life, does it?
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Jack has a particularly close relationship with his.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06I talk to it sometimes. "Great shot. Come on!"
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Or, "You are better than that,"
0:24:09 > 0:24:13almost as if the mistake's there, not here.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16But what do they know about their racquet strings?
0:24:16 > 0:24:18When you look at the list of the strings,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22they have names of them, but I've never asked, "Ooh, is that natural?"
0:24:22 > 0:24:25People ask, "What racquet do you use?"
0:24:25 > 0:24:28or, "What trainers have you got?" Never, "What string do you use?"
0:24:28 > 0:24:31So where do they think gut strings come from?
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Do you think natural gut are made out of gut?
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- Yeah.- What kind of gut? Pig's? - Animal gut.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Animal gut? Do you think? I've no idea, to be fair.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44To get to the bottom of where gut strings come from,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Liberty and Jack are joining me at an unusual factory in Norfolk.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52Nice to meet you. Very pleased that you've got your racquets with you.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55- Jack, what's going on there? - I hit it hard.- You certainly did!
0:24:55 > 0:24:58That needs a restring, love, doesn't it?
0:24:58 > 0:25:01What do you think natural tennis strings are made out of?
0:25:01 > 0:25:04For someone who's a keen tennis player, I don't really know.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09However I've heard a rumour it could be a cat, or cat's gut.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- Cat's gut?- So we'll see.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14- What do you think, Liberty? - Jack thought maybe pig.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17We thought maybe cow. It's got four stomachs.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- Does that bother you, that it might come from an animal?- No.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Not yet. It might once I've seen a bit.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25OK. Bring your tennis racquets. Follow me.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28'We're here to visit Bow Brand,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31'a company that's been producing natural gut strings
0:25:31 > 0:25:36'for over a hundred years. Production manager Rosina Russell is about to reveal all.'
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- Is this it, then? - It is.- Let's have a look.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- LIBERTY GASPS - So...
0:25:41 > 0:25:43these...
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- whatever they are, become natural tennis strings?- Yes.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51So what actually is this? What have we got in our hands?
0:25:51 > 0:25:53They're beef intestines from the cow.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56- These?- From the cow?
0:25:56 > 0:25:59- So I was right? - You was right, Liberty.- Oh!
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- Can we touch them?- Oh, please do.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04- It's like linguini. - Just get hold of it, yeah?
0:26:04 > 0:26:06- Have a go. Look.- Yeah, there you go.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09- How's that? - SHE LAUGHS
0:26:09 > 0:26:14Yeah. It's just pasta. It's fine. It's just salty pasta.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18The factory gets its guts from four different abattoirs.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Each barrel contains an amazing thousand cow guts,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24preserved in salt.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Each individual gut is sliced lengthways,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28producing between three and five strands
0:26:28 > 0:26:30that are 19 millimetres wide.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Depending on the breed, diet and age of the cow,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36each gut looks and smells completely different,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38as we soon find out.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41HE LAUGHS
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- Jack, have a smell. - That is horrendous.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I don't know if I'm going to go now.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50LIBERTY LAUGHS
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Yeah. Nice.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54This is a different one again.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- That one's not as bad.- Urgh!
0:26:59 > 0:27:03- The first one was so much worse. - That's sweet!
0:27:03 > 0:27:06That's horrible. That goes to the back of the throat.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The idea of this going in my tennis racquet,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- I find that quite funny. - You might be able to hit it better.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20So how many of these, then, would it take to string my tennis racquet?
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- About four.- About four cows? - Four cows for your racquet.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Per racquet? Four cows per racquet? COWS MOO
0:27:26 > 0:27:30If you think, the amount of times I go through and break a string...
0:27:30 > 0:27:33With two racquets, say six, seven, eight times a year,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37so you're looking at something between 24 and 32 cows per year.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- COWS MOO - And I don't even play that much,
0:27:40 > 0:27:41compared to a lot of people.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46'First the strands of gut are washed in a mixture of soft water,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49'sodium carbonate - washing soda to you and me -
0:27:49 > 0:27:51'and liquid soap.'
0:27:51 > 0:27:53This is a washout. It's done over a three-day period.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Each batch will come into a separate tank each day,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01till we get up to here, when all the salt now has been removed
0:28:01 > 0:28:03and it's more like the original intestine.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05- Can we touch it? - You can.- Give it a go.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Oh, yeah. It does feel very different.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10SHE LAUGHS
0:28:10 > 0:28:14- Silky, I reckon, like a fish! - It feels like fish.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15It's like the outside of a fish.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19The next stage in transforming these slippery guts into tough strings
0:28:19 > 0:28:22involves trimming them into 40-foot sections.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27In fact, a cow's intestine can range from 120 to 160 feet long,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31but 40 foot is just the right length to string your average racquet.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33So Sarah's bundling now?
0:28:33 > 0:28:37She's laying together the amount of strands.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40For a tennis string we would lay 15 strands together,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43then they're all tied together on one loop,
0:28:43 > 0:28:47and the strandage is anything from a three strand
0:28:47 > 0:28:51to a 42 strand. Tennis are normally 15,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54and the rest are made into harp strings.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Next the bundled strands are hung up and stretched out.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09Why is this, as a natural substance, better than a synthetic string?
0:29:09 > 0:29:13With a synthetic string, once it's in the racquet
0:29:13 > 0:29:15and it hits the ball, the string will stretch
0:29:15 > 0:29:18and it will stay stretched. Gut has a natural memory,
0:29:18 > 0:29:22so it will always try to go back to its original,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25so therefore it will absorb the shock a lot more.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29And it will stop the shock going down the arm.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33- So it's better for the player? - Yes. There's less chance of getting tennis elbow.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36The guts are made of a fibrous protein called collagen,
0:29:36 > 0:29:41which allows them to stretch and contract to pass food through the digestive system.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44This also gives the tennis strings their strength and resilience.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49This is our chemical-process tank.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52The strings are in here for two days,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54and they go through a series of nine treatments.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56The last one is a cohesion,
0:29:56 > 0:30:01which helps all those strands stick together when they've been spun.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- You've got approximately 600 cows in this tank.- 600 cows?
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- OK.- That's unbelievable, innit?
0:30:11 > 0:30:15'The next stage is spinning, which joins all the individual strands
0:30:15 > 0:30:17'into one solid mass.'
0:30:17 > 0:30:19- OK, that's that.- That's it?- Yeah.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23- Oh, wow!- Look how tight they are. - They're very hard to separate.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25- You can't... Can you do it?- No.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29It still seems quite thick, to get down to a tennis string.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33'To shrink the strings to tennis-racquet size,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36'they must be dried. This process takes place
0:30:36 > 0:30:37'in a deliberately humid room.'
0:30:37 > 0:30:40The strings will remain in here for one week,
0:30:40 > 0:30:44and it takes so long because we are drying them from the inside out.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47If we dry them too quickly, they will just crack.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51Also during the drying process, we have to put a spin back in them.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55'If left unattended, the strings will try to unravel as they dry.'
0:30:55 > 0:30:57David's putting another spin in to say,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00"No, you'll stay how we want you to."
0:31:00 > 0:31:03- The strings are always fighting? - Yes.- It all takes how long?
0:31:03 > 0:31:06- It takes six weeks. - Wow!- Six weeks? Really?
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Finally the strings are smoothed and polished
0:31:09 > 0:31:12before being varnished to make them waterproof.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15This is our finished product, from the barrel to the packet,
0:31:15 > 0:31:17- and ready to go on the shelf. - COW MOOS
0:31:19 > 0:31:23We've seen how a handful of cow guts become the string for one racquet.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24But has it changed anything?
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Just cast your mind back.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32That, a few months ago, was inside a living animal.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35The amount of times, as well, when I'm playing,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37I'll be clicking my strings, looking at my strings,
0:31:37 > 0:31:41looking to play better, really, and that's just like clicking a gut.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44- That's a cow. - It's not just one cow, though.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47- Yeah. We said three cows. - Between three and five.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50- So there's five cows... - Per racquet, yeah.- ..on my string.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Feels very different, doesn't it, from the gut we were handling,
0:31:54 > 0:31:57the slimy, wet, salty...
0:31:57 > 0:32:00We were reluctant to pick it up and put it through all these machines,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04and now we're just fiddling. We can't leave them alone any more.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07I'll definitely have more respect for my strings,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10knowing the effort and time that goes into making these.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12And the manual labour, all the people doing it.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16That was so surprising, wasn't it? I've seen quite a few processes,
0:32:16 > 0:32:20and things made, but I don't think anything has just...
0:32:20 > 0:32:23gone through so much, and so many pairs of hands!
0:32:23 > 0:32:26And the real love in there, isn't there?
0:32:26 > 0:32:28It's such a nice atmosphere. Newfound respect.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31Yeah. Natural gut strings.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Not made out of cats - made out of cows.
0:32:34 > 0:32:35COWS MOO
0:32:37 > 0:32:41A gut-string racquet might help Jack and Liberty play,
0:32:41 > 0:32:45but the tennis court is not the only place that a cow by-product
0:32:45 > 0:32:47can help improve our image.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51It turns out that cow horns play an important part in the fashion industry
0:32:51 > 0:32:54by helping us keep our coats fastened and our trousers up.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00When I'm clothes-shopping, I look at the details -
0:33:00 > 0:33:04the material, the colour, the cut - and I always look at the buttons.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08You get brass buttons, wooden buttons, shell and horn buttons.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10And that's what they make here.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14Abbeyhorn of Lakeland has been making horn products like buttons for over 250 years,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18and is the only manufacturer of its kind in Britain.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21But though horn buttons may have been around for centuries,
0:33:21 > 0:33:24they're still bringing a touch of class to clothes design today.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28They crop up on coats, trousers and shoes across the high street,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31as well as being popular with high-end designers
0:33:31 > 0:33:35and bespoke tailors. I'm meeting factory manager Chris Mason,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38who's offered to share a few trade secrets.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40- Morning!- Morning! How are you? - Not bad, thank you.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44- Blimey! That's a big pile of horns. - Yes, and there's more behind you.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46How many have you got in here?
0:33:46 > 0:33:49The last shipment, we had about 20,000 pairs,
0:33:49 > 0:33:51- so quite a lot of horn, yes.- Yeah!
0:33:51 > 0:33:54From all over the world, or from this country?
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Nigeria. We get all our horn from Nigeria.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00- Right. Why Nigeria?- Because over here we de-horn the cattle
0:34:00 > 0:34:03when they're young, because they go in buildings over the winter,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06and they damage their hides with horns.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10These huge horns are a by-product of the Nigerian meat industry,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12removed when the cattle are slaughtered.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15Traditionally buttons used to be made of things like horn and bone.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17That was how it worked in the old days.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20I didn't realise there was still a trade for them these days.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24A lot of the top fashion designers, Savile Row, who make suits,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28use a lot of buttons and toggles in their designs nowadays.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33'To find out just how a Nigerian cow horn
0:34:33 > 0:34:36'ends up as a bespoke British button,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39'Chris takes me to see the first stage of the process - sawing.'
0:34:39 > 0:34:41This is Graham. Graham does the sawing up.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44- So you're in charge of the lethal machinery?- I am.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47- And what happens first?- I'll chop a small toggle off the end.
0:34:47 > 0:34:48Right.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51MOTOR ROARS AND SAW WHINES
0:34:53 > 0:34:55- Is that good?- Yeah.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00So, this is what's universally known as a toggle.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03It's a toggle button, what you'd see on a duffle coat.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07It's quite a good size, that one! Now, of course, one horn,
0:35:07 > 0:35:09one toggle button, so one animal - only two.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13- Two toggles off one animal. - So if you'd got a duffle coat
0:35:13 > 0:35:17with six on it, you've got three animals, essentially.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19- Pretty much, yes.- And that's it.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22Next Graham's going to slice the solid part,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25just like a carrot, so he's got slices of buttons.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31- That is skilled work. - That is skilled work.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Years of training.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38'Next, the hollow portion is cut into sections
0:35:38 > 0:35:41'ready to be heated and flattened.'
0:35:41 > 0:35:44- You can make buttons out of that? - That's what we'll do next.- OK.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47Blimey, it's very old-school in here, isn't it?
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Yeah, very traditional in here.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54He's going to heat the horn so it's flexible, like toasting a marshmallow.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- And this is going to flatten? - It's going to become flexible.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01- So pop it in there... - In there.- Release.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Back down like that.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06That's not too bad for a first-timer.
0:36:06 > 0:36:07Yeah! See?
0:36:07 > 0:36:10And now we're going to cut buttons out.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13- With this strange-looking contraption?- This press.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16'The flattened horn is placed beneath a press,
0:36:16 > 0:36:19'which uses a cutting tool, plus a bit of brute force,
0:36:19 > 0:36:21'to punch out crudely shaped buttons.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28'Next the buttons are thinned down and have holes drilled in them.'
0:36:28 > 0:36:31- How's that?- Brilliant. Very centred.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35'The buttons are then sanded for a regular shape and a smooth finish.'
0:36:35 > 0:36:38- Happy with it?- I think so.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41It's got kind of a rustic quality to it.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43'Finally each button is hand-polished.'
0:36:45 > 0:36:47This is where the colour's going to come out on it.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52I think that's as polishy as that one's going to get.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55I've got a few little marks in there.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58- Is that me, or is that the actual... - That's you.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01That's me. Oh, no!
0:37:01 > 0:37:03They're very beautiful, though, aren't they?
0:37:03 > 0:37:05They just feel so lovely.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07And to think that less than an hour ago,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10this beautiful shiny object was a big old hairy horn!
0:37:10 > 0:37:12It's quite something, isn't it?
0:37:12 > 0:37:14'I might think they're lovely,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17'but I'm keen to find out what north London shoppers think
0:37:17 > 0:37:21'when I reveal where their toggles and stylish buttons come from.'
0:37:21 > 0:37:24- Doing a nice bit of shopping? - Yeah.- Good.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27I'm going to show you a very lovely tray of buttons.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Have a little feel of those for me.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33- Nice?- Yeah. - You've seen those before?
0:37:33 > 0:37:36You've got something very similar on your coat there.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39What do you think they're made out of?
0:37:39 > 0:37:40- Plastic?- Yeah.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44- This one, maybe a bit of stone. - Yeah, yeah. Polished stone?
0:37:44 > 0:37:47- Teeth.- Teeth? That's interesting.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49- Ivory, maybe?- Ivory?
0:37:49 > 0:37:53Ivory. That would be dramatic and controversial. Ivory!
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- Shall I show you what they're made out of?- Will it jump out?
0:37:56 > 0:37:59- It won't jump out, I promise you. Are you ready?- Yeah.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02Oh, my God!
0:38:02 > 0:38:04What?
0:38:04 > 0:38:07It's a horn. It's a horn from a cow.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09- I feel terrible.- Do you?
0:38:09 > 0:38:12- Do you feel bad?- Yeah!
0:38:12 > 0:38:16- Why?- Did an animal die for it? - The animal would have died anyway.
0:38:16 > 0:38:21- Oh, OK.- An animal that would have been consumed by humans, a cow.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24People who are vegetarians wouldn't know that, would they?
0:38:24 > 0:38:26They probably wouldn't, no.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29- Complete use of the animal? - Yes.- Even for a vegetarian,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32- are you happy with that? - Yes. It's a by-product.- It is.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35- The animal has been consumed.- Yes.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39It's amazing to think that, centuries after we first used cow horns to make buttons,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43they're still all over our high street. And there's another cow part
0:38:43 > 0:38:47we've used for years to make something even more essential to the British way of life.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50We've all heard of the proverbial bull in a china shop,
0:38:50 > 0:38:54but how many people know that there's a cow in their china teacup?
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Recently the rise of granny chic has seen retro teashops
0:38:57 > 0:39:00and their posh crockery restored to fashion.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02These desirable china plates and cups
0:39:02 > 0:39:06are also a must-have for most young couples picking their wedding gifts.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11There's no better place to find out about bone china than Stoke, the pottery capital of the UK.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13I'm about to meet a bride and groom to be
0:39:13 > 0:39:15who've got bone china on their wedding list
0:39:15 > 0:39:18but have no idea what it's made of.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21I've got a little clue for them in here.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Charlene, 24, and Ben, 26, have just got engaged.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28They're busy planning every detail of their dream wedding,
0:39:28 > 0:39:29especially the gift list.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32They've already found the perfect dinner service,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35but they're in the dark about its animal origins.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37COW MOOS
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Morning, morning! Hello, Charlene. Hello, Ben.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42I'm going to pop that down just there.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46That's something for you in a moment. Congratulations!
0:39:46 > 0:39:48- Thank you very much. - Very exciting. When's the big day?
0:39:48 > 0:39:52- Next year.- The 1st of September. - Was the proposal romantic?
0:39:52 > 0:39:55It was amazing. I didn't know he had it in him, to be quite truthful.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58- Did he keep it secret? - He did. I had absolutely no idea.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Tell me about your wedding list. Have you gone for special things,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04things that you haven't got yet?
0:40:04 > 0:40:07It's been every night, looking at what we want,
0:40:07 > 0:40:10making a list of everything, so it's been good.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- What have you got on the list? - We've got a cutlery set,
0:40:13 > 0:40:18glasses, beautiful glasses, beautiful dinner set, tea set...
0:40:18 > 0:40:21I'm very curious about your dinner set.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Describe it to me. What does it look like?
0:40:24 > 0:40:27- It's white with a silver trim on it. - Yeah. It's got a trim on it.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31- So it's the proper posh stuff? - The very expensive stuff.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34- Ah, lovely! Any idea at all how it's made?- No.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38- Never would have thought about it. - I'm going to give you your gift.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41- Oh, OK.- OK.- Ooh...
0:40:41 > 0:40:44It's quite heavy, I tell you that, this box.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Right. Let me pop that down there. There we go.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52In here is what your dinner set is made out of.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57SHE GASPS
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Fine bone china!
0:40:59 > 0:41:03The clue is in the title. That's what it's made of.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06- Really?- Oh, my God!
0:41:06 > 0:41:08That is a lovely selection of cow bones.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12That makes sense, actually, now.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16- Wow.- It just... You would never...
0:41:16 > 0:41:18- Oh, my God. - How do you feel about that?
0:41:18 > 0:41:21- Disturbed. - It's quite shocking, isn't it?
0:41:21 > 0:41:25That is absolutely mad. You just never, ever, ever would think
0:41:25 > 0:41:29that something like that starts here.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- I was looking forward to that gift, actually!- Sorry.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35I look like a real bitch now, don't I?
0:41:35 > 0:41:37THEY LAUGH
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- I'm wondering how they do it. - Well, wonder no more,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43because today we're going to the factory,
0:41:43 > 0:41:48and we'll watch it being made. So you'll see how these become your dinner set.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50- Brilliant.- God!
0:41:54 > 0:41:58To begin our journey, we head to a local firm called Jesse Shirley,
0:41:58 > 0:42:02who turn cow bones into bone ash, a key ingredient in bone china.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04'Manager Mike Shirley will be our guide.'
0:42:04 > 0:42:07- Good to see you. - Right. Show us your bones!
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Thank you.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14The bones they use don't come from British cows or the local butcher.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Instead they travel to Stoke all the way from Egypt,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20where they're produced as by-products of a glue-making process.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26At Lion Glue in Cairo, the cattle bones arrive by the truckload
0:42:26 > 0:42:30from the local abattoirs. They're separated from any hooves or horns
0:42:30 > 0:42:34before being crushed into smaller, more manageable pieces.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38Bones contain fat, a protein called collagen,
0:42:38 > 0:42:40and a mineral called calcium phosphate
0:42:40 > 0:42:43that gives the bone its strength and structure.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45First the fat is stripped out with a solvent
0:42:45 > 0:42:48in a process called de-greasing.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51The de-greased bones then enter a kind of pressure cooker
0:42:51 > 0:42:54which melts away the collagen, leaving a sticky liquid
0:42:54 > 0:42:57which can be used as glue. The remaining bone pieces
0:42:57 > 0:42:59are dried in the sun for up to three weeks
0:42:59 > 0:43:02before being bagged up and sent to Jesse Shirley.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06- This is the bone that we receive. - Clearly very different...
0:43:07 > 0:43:08- ..to that.- Yes.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11- Quite different. - Doesn't look anything like it.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14- And you buy them in big bags like that?- Yes.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Why Egypt?
0:43:17 > 0:43:20Bone in England is incinerated now because of the BSE problem,
0:43:20 > 0:43:24and really the follow-on to that, the glue industry here has died.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Let's have a little feel of that. Have a feel, guys.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32So, incredibly light and brittle now.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36- More like chalk, isn't it? - It is like chalk, yeah.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39'To produce bone ash, the bone chips are burned
0:43:39 > 0:43:42'at 1,050 degrees Centigrade, in a huge tubular kiln
0:43:42 > 0:43:44'called a calciner.'
0:43:44 > 0:43:47The bone then travels down the kiln,
0:43:47 > 0:43:50and by the time it gets to the burner at the far end,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53it is a calcined bone. All the organics have gone out of it,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56and it's really calcium phosphate.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04Why is bone such a good material to use for china?
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Well, a bone gives you three properties.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09It gives you high strength in the bone-china products,
0:44:09 > 0:44:13it's very white, so it gives you the whiteness that you require
0:44:13 > 0:44:17in top-quality products, and it gives you a translucency,
0:44:17 > 0:44:21translucency being you can see your hand at the other side of a plate.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24'Next the bone ash is mixed with water
0:44:24 > 0:44:28'and ground down to a gloopy, paste-like substance known as slip.'
0:44:28 > 0:44:31- Is it OK if we have a feel? - Yes, of course.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36- It's really fine, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40- It's finer than talc. - It feels almost like silk.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44Think about the old chops that were at the breakfast table.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46And now... That's hard to believe, isn't it?
0:44:46 > 0:44:50These are cow bones that you use. Can you use any bone?
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Horse bone allegedly is not meant to be good,
0:44:53 > 0:44:56because it's a brown colour. But sheep bone, yes,
0:44:56 > 0:44:58pig bone, no problems.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01The slip is filtered to increase purity,
0:45:01 > 0:45:05and then dried to produce what's known in the trade as bone noodles.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09So this turns into our china cups,
0:45:09 > 0:45:12- our plates, our dinner services... - That's right.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15A bone china cup has 50 percent of this product in it.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18- How much per ton is that worth? - You start off with a product
0:45:18 > 0:45:21that is collected at £100 a ton.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24By the time it's been through all the processes,
0:45:24 > 0:45:26it's up to about £550, that.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Where do you send this? Where does it go to?
0:45:28 > 0:45:32This goes to most of the bone-china manufacturers around the world.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35We're operating at something like 80 to 90 percent export.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38- 80 to 90 percent? - Yes, unfortunately.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41Stoke-on-Trent doesn't make a lot of bone china now.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44Today most bone china is produced in places like Indonesia,
0:45:44 > 0:45:46China and Germany.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50Many traditional British firms now manufacture overseas,
0:45:50 > 0:45:54so if your crockery doesn't say "made in England" on it, chances are it wasn't.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57Jesse Shirley also mix their bone noodles with clay
0:45:57 > 0:46:00and a glass-forming substance to create a ready-made product
0:46:00 > 0:46:03that can be turned directly into plates and cups.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06'To see how this is done, we follow a batch down the road
0:46:06 > 0:46:09'to Hudson & Middleton. Here to show us around
0:46:09 > 0:46:12'is another Mike - Mike Deaville, the company's owner.'
0:46:12 > 0:46:16You're one of the last pottery manufacturers left in the UK.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19Yes, one of about three now producing made-in-England products.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23So is this the stuff you get from Jesse Shirley?
0:46:23 > 0:46:26This is exactly what we get. This is how it's prepared
0:46:26 > 0:46:29and comes in to us. We send this into the clay shops
0:46:29 > 0:46:32so that we can start making products.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36We liquidise part of this so that we can make other products.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39I can't see how that turns into a plate.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42'Unfortunately, Ben, you're not going to find that out today,
0:46:42 > 0:46:46'as the company are making cups, but we will get to see how that's done.
0:46:46 > 0:46:51'First the liquidised clay is poured into plaster-of-Paris moulds
0:46:51 > 0:46:54'which are dried and partially set before being turned out.'
0:46:54 > 0:46:58OK, so this is what's actually come off the machines.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01- Be careful. It's quite delicate at this stage.- Yeah.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04- And these are the cups? - That's the body of the cup.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08This throw now needs to be smoothed out on top,
0:47:08 > 0:47:12all the seams of the moulds taken away, and obviously a handle put on.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14So it's really hands-on.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18Everything's hands-on. This product goes through so many hands
0:47:18 > 0:47:22and fingers, it's not true. This'll reflect in the price at the end of the day.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25Now it's time for our hands to get busy,
0:47:25 > 0:47:28trying to attach a few handles. It's a high-pressure job.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31- I'm really nervous! - Are you very nervous?
0:47:32 > 0:47:35This girl easily puts a thousand on a day.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37- I know!- Press him on.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39That's it.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42OK, I don't want to mess this up. So straight... Oh!
0:47:43 > 0:47:46That would happen to me, wouldn't it?
0:47:46 > 0:47:49Thankfully most cups are in Sandra's safe hands,
0:47:49 > 0:47:53who tidies them up in preparation to be fired in the company's kiln.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Wowzer! That is a big pizza oven!
0:48:00 > 0:48:02It certainly is!
0:48:04 > 0:48:06How many items have you got in there?
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Probably about 3,000, 4,000 pieces on there.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12'The kiln heats the china to over 1,000 degrees Centigrade
0:48:12 > 0:48:15'for about 17 hours. This helps to fix any glaze or paintwork,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18'and will be repeated from three to five times
0:48:18 > 0:48:20'depending on how decorative the item is.'
0:48:20 > 0:48:23- Who are your customers? - We supply John Lewis.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27We have a lot to do with the National Trust, the Royal Collection...
0:48:27 > 0:48:31'Talking of the Royal Collection, there's another young couple
0:48:31 > 0:48:34'that Hudson & Middleton have something to do with,
0:48:34 > 0:48:36'even if Mike's being a little coy about it.'
0:48:36 > 0:48:41- You might recognise the initials on there.- Let's have a little look.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46- W and C...- Could be a wedding. - Oh, it could be! It is indeed.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50- So that's a celebration... - Celebration in itself. - Celebration mug.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54It's funny to think that cow bones all the way from Egypt
0:48:54 > 0:48:57end up helping us commemorate the most British of weddings.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01There's just one final touch to make the cups complete,
0:49:01 > 0:49:03and Charlene tests her hand-painting skills.
0:49:03 > 0:49:08- If you successfully decorate it, you can have it.- Oh, lovely! Thanks!
0:49:09 > 0:49:11Oh, my God!
0:49:13 > 0:49:15That's good!
0:49:15 > 0:49:18Stop there. Let's have a look at your handiwork.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20- SHE LAUGHS - Pop your name on the bottom,
0:49:20 > 0:49:23so we know that it was you that did it.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25There we go!
0:49:25 > 0:49:27And that's your wedding gift taken care of!
0:49:27 > 0:49:29THEY LAUGH
0:49:29 > 0:49:31COWS MOO
0:49:31 > 0:49:35'I think seeing a cow bone transformed into fine bone china
0:49:35 > 0:49:38'is pretty amazing, but I wonder what our lovebirds will make of it?'
0:49:38 > 0:49:41- So, do you like your mugs? - I love them.
0:49:41 > 0:49:42Yeah.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46You're going to have a whole new respect for fine bone china now?
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Absolutely. Definitely, now we know the process
0:49:49 > 0:49:52- from start to end. - Just a bag of bones,
0:49:52 > 0:49:56to this bone china. It makes sense now.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Is it OK that there's part of an animal in this product?
0:49:59 > 0:50:02It's not something that I thought about before,
0:50:02 > 0:50:06but in actual fact I think it does make you feel a bit better
0:50:06 > 0:50:10about the fact that, obviously, we kill animals to eat,
0:50:10 > 0:50:14and then we're using their bones for things like this,
0:50:14 > 0:50:16so you're using as much of that animal as possible.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19So in actual fact I think it's a good thing.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22I think when we pick our cutlery and china and things like that,
0:50:22 > 0:50:24we'd look at it a lot differently now,
0:50:24 > 0:50:27at the amount of process and work that goes into them.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31I like the fact that something so ugly and a little bit gross
0:50:31 > 0:50:35can be turned into such a delicate, beautiful product.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38It's just a shame the industry's dying in this country.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42Seeing the transformation from leftover bone to china clay
0:50:42 > 0:50:46will certainly be on my mind next time I sit down with a nice cuppa.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49And it only goes to show what a versatile animal the cow is.
0:50:49 > 0:50:54So far I've discovered a use for almost every part of its anatomy,
0:50:54 > 0:50:57from its hide to its horns to its guts.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Pretty much the only bit I haven't seen turned into a product
0:51:00 > 0:51:04is the cow's hooves. Surely there's nothing they could be used for!
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Well, it turns out there is.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10I've heard that cow's hooves play an important part in keeping us safe
0:51:10 > 0:51:13when we jet off on our holidays, but I don't know how.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16So the hooves and I are off to Southampton Airport to find out more.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20I'm thinking aviation industry, maybe the fuel
0:51:20 > 0:51:23or the aeroplanes, something to do with the parts.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25I don't know.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29# Fly me away
0:51:29 > 0:51:33# On an aeroplane
0:51:33 > 0:51:35# High in the sky #
0:51:35 > 0:51:39'On arrival, I'm directed to the airport's fire-and-rescue service
0:51:39 > 0:51:41'to meet firefighter Simon McRae.'
0:51:41 > 0:51:44- Hello. You must be Simon. - Pleased to meet you.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47- How are you?- Very well, thank you. - What are we doing with these?
0:51:47 > 0:51:51Best thing to do is to show you. First we need to get kitted up.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08What do you think? Am I going to need those?
0:52:08 > 0:52:10- Yeah. Bring them along with you. - Great.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20Ooh, brilliant!
0:52:20 > 0:52:23'I'm still not sure how my hooves fit in,
0:52:23 > 0:52:27'but I'm going to have to join the team's training session before I find out,
0:52:27 > 0:52:30- 'and it looks like fun.' - SIRENS WAIL
0:52:43 > 0:52:44Whoa!
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Oh, my God!
0:52:50 > 0:52:53The power of this!
0:52:53 > 0:52:57It's so forceful! The kickback...
0:52:57 > 0:53:00from the hose is amazing!
0:53:00 > 0:53:02My face is on fire!
0:53:02 > 0:53:06You've got to eat your spinach to do this, haven't you?
0:53:06 > 0:53:10If you want to turn it back again so it goes to wide spray... Yeah.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13And then you can turn the handle to close. Push it closed.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16There we go.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19- Blimey!- All the way forward.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Well done. Water off!
0:53:26 > 0:53:27- How was that?- Bloody hell!
0:53:27 > 0:53:30That's incredible!
0:53:30 > 0:53:34Where... Where, where do the hooves come into this?
0:53:34 > 0:53:37- I think it's something to do with the kit.- No.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39- What is it?- It's the foam.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41- Ohhh! - COW MOOS
0:53:41 > 0:53:44I thought it was what we were wearing, maybe our kit,
0:53:44 > 0:53:46- it was protective, something... - You're close.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49- You've got leather boots on.- Yeah.
0:53:51 > 0:53:56Amazingly, cow hooves are a vital component in firefighting foam.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00Away from the heat of the flames, Simon explains more.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05How do you get firefighting foam out of those?
0:54:05 > 0:54:07From the calves' hooves, a protein is extracted
0:54:07 > 0:54:11which is turned into a concentrate, which we have here,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14and it's the concentrate, which we mix with water and air,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17which produces the foam. Have a sniff.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19Urgh!
0:54:19 > 0:54:22What happens is, the foam smothers the fuel.
0:54:22 > 0:54:26A film forms over it which stops the flames reigniting.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29The protein extracted from cow hooves
0:54:29 > 0:54:32helps to bond the foam into a durable blanket.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35This stops it breaking up on impact with a fire,
0:54:35 > 0:54:37and makes it very effective at smothering flames.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40And is this used across the board for firefighting?
0:54:40 > 0:54:43Primarily in aviation firefighting it's used.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47It's different to the stuff you may get in a household fire extinguisher.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51- And that's because aviation fuel... - Burns a lot hotter, yes.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53Is there a synthetic alternative?
0:54:53 > 0:54:56There is. It's not as effective, we find, for aviation fuels.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00How do you feel about the fact that there are bits of dead animal
0:55:00 > 0:55:03- putting out your fires? - I hadn't really thought about it.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05It's a good barrier between myself and the fire,
0:55:05 > 0:55:09so as long as it's keeping me safe when I'm using it,
0:55:09 > 0:55:11- I don't have a problem. - But now every time you smell it,
0:55:11 > 0:55:14- you'll think of me asking you that question.- Yes!
0:55:14 > 0:55:16- That smell! - And those calves' hooves.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20'What do the other firefighters make of this strange animal ingredient?'
0:55:20 > 0:55:23- You're not vegetarian, are you?- No.
0:55:23 > 0:55:28What do you think of the fact that there are animal bits in all this?
0:55:28 > 0:55:31It's the best protein that we've found that works,
0:55:31 > 0:55:35so, at the end of the day, human lives are at risk.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41I was convinced that the hooves would have been part of this,
0:55:41 > 0:55:43part of the protective gear.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47But now I actually can't think of a more heroic use
0:55:47 > 0:55:49for an animal by-product - saving lives.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52It's not a car seat. It's not a vanity product.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55It's not leather trousers or shoes. It's saving lives.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57COW MOOS
0:55:59 > 0:56:03From firefighting foam to fancy car interiors,
0:56:03 > 0:56:05I've found a whole host of clever ways
0:56:05 > 0:56:09to recycle the parts of the cow that we don't eat.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11What's really struck me is the astonishing difference
0:56:11 > 0:56:16between how these leftovers look at the start of each process and what they look like at the end.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20Witnessing these transformations has been a real eye-opener,
0:56:20 > 0:56:23as has discovering how much skill and, in some cases, passion
0:56:23 > 0:56:26goes into producing them. It goes to show,
0:56:26 > 0:56:29with a bit of hard work and ingenuity,
0:56:29 > 0:56:32you can turn a cow into just about anything.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35Next time on Kill It, Cut It, Use It, the sheep.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37- That's horrible! - That's like ear wax.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40Old school!
0:56:40 > 0:56:44- The centre from the sheep head. - Why? I just don't get it!
0:56:44 > 0:56:46I've never smelt anything like that.
0:56:46 > 0:56:50- It doesn't look much like a foot at the moment.- I'm shocked.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53# Damn, blast, look at my past
0:56:53 > 0:56:56# I'm ripping up my feet over broken glass
0:56:56 > 0:56:59# Oh, wow, look at me now
0:56:59 > 0:57:03# I'm building up my problems to the size of a cow
0:57:03 > 0:57:07# Oh, oh, oh, oh
0:57:07 > 0:57:10# The size of a cow
0:57:10 > 0:57:13# Oh, oh, oh, oh #
0:57:13 > 0:57:17Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:57:17 > 0:57:21E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk
0:57:21 > 0:57:21.