The Timeless Sustainability of WÜSTHOF Knives
Legacy
At WÜSTHOF, we’re not interested in adding to landfills or contributing to the endless cycle of single-use products. We believe in using expertly sourced, high-quality materials and craftsmanship so every knife we produce can be passed down for generations as cherished heirlooms.
Sustainability Through Longevity
Heirloom Knives Built To Last A Lifetime
Last year, WÜSTHOF was forwarded a letter that deeply moved us. The letter was from Samir Selmanović, a Croatian-born businessman turned leadership coach in New York, and it was about his father’s knife: The Solingen. Crafted in the early twentieth century by WÜSTHOF, it had been passed down through the family for decades. During summer vacation throughout Samir’s childhood, it rested on a cutting board in the family’s kitchen by the Adriatic Sea, waiting to slice and dice the bounty of the season: ripe tomatoes, peppery greens, fresh regional cheeses, and bolting basil.
Fifty years later, the knife is still sitting in Samir’s Manhattan kitchen, the blade slimmed from a lifetime of re-sharpening and small scratches marking the wooden handle with age. This knife has lasted as a symbol of, and a homage to, Samir’s father and the meals they enjoyed together while he was growing up. This story reminds us that WÜSTHOF knives can transcend their role as mere kitchen tools and become cherished heirlooms passed down through generations. With proper care, they can slice an onion grown a hundred years apart.
It’s increasingly rare to make high-quality, timeless tools that never go out of style and last a lifetime
Reducing consumption is at the center of sustainability, and we at WÜSTHOF take that seriously. It’s rare for a knife to exist for hundreds of years and still be functional, but we’ve always oriented our company around using expertly sourced, high-quality materials that are built to last. Many of our customers have inherited their blades from parents or grandparents, and often from the WÜSTHOF Classic series, our original collection of blades dating back to 1886.
These knives continue to chop potatoes, carve chickens, and slice carrot sticks for lunchboxes (though we’re sure the lunchboxes look a little different nowadays). Many professional chefs, too, started their cooking careers with a set of knives from WÜSTHOF, kept them sharp, and still use them daily.
Today, the sheer volume of products and gadgets on the market tend to influence a purchasing mentality driven by overconsumption and throwaway culture. But we are decidedly “old school” in our mindset: make it perfect the first time and make it last a lifetime.
It has been over two-hundred years since our company first opened its doors, and every WÜSTHOF knife continues to be made by expert artisans in our hometown of Solingen, Germany. It takes fifty-four individual steps to make just one forged knife at our factory, using a combination of state-of-the-art technology and traditional craftsmanship to maximize the longevity of our blades. Knives are precision-forged from a single piece of specially formulated German steel, which is then hardened to a uniquely durable 58 Rockwell. Handles are fixed with stainless steel rivets and enclose something called “the sacrificial anode” - a patented innovation that helps with the durability and longevity of each WÜSTHOF blade.
Beyond reducing waste from low-quality, mass-produced products, our knives help inspire prepping and cooking food at home. Slicing, dicing, and eating thoughtfully uses less energy and natural resources, and it also gives both home and professional cooks full control over how they use their ingredients. Gaining a deeper knowledge of food prep means you understand that broccoli stalks are edible (and delicious) or that you can make a batch of jam from fruits going soft in your fridge. It motivates you to use ingredients in new ways for low-waste cooking that are smart on your wallet and easy on the planet. The more processing a product receives - whether it’s a frozen pizza or a bag of pre-chopped kale sealed in plastic - the more energy it uses in the form of packaging, processing, and transportation. Put simply, the more skillfully you learn to use a knife, the better your environmental footprint.
WÜSTHOF’s longevity proves that these sustainable values are core pieces of our history. It’s increasingly rare to make high-quality, timeless tools that never go out of style while lasting a lifetime, and we’re honoured to continue carrying that torch. Our goal is that in another hundred years, the knives we make today continue to hold value, both as family heirlooms and as functional heritage pieces.
To us, celebrating our planet is about continuing to strive for a holistic view of sustainable living, from the tools we invest in to the beet tops we decide to save instead of throwing away. Maybe we’ll clean, stem, and thinly slice those beet greens before braising them in butter with freshly minced herbs — or perhaps we’ll massage them with lemon and olive oil for a big salad with radishes, pecorino cheese, and toasted walnuts. It's amazing how satisfying it can be to use what you have, buy less, and invest in high-quality items that last.
Amici 1814
This unique knife is an heirloom collector’s item, a work of art for the senses, and a workhorse for carving, slicing, and dicing in your kitchen.
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