The Timeless Sustainability of WÜSTHOF Knives

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.

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. (Want to read more about these chefs? Check out our Mise en Place series, featuring wonderful chefs like Grace Ramirez, Elle Simone Scott, and Gabriel Rucker.)

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.

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 honored 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.