14 tips to take care of your favourite leather product

Content posted by: COTANCE

Mankind has used leather since ancient times. A by-product of the meat and dairy industry, it is a valuable material with unique characteristics. In particular, it is durable and sustainable and with proper care, it will remain beautiful for a long time; its appearance may even improve with ageing.

  1. Protect leather from direct sunlight, extreme heat and sharp objects.
  2. For clothes and shoes: use leather cleaners and conditioners which contain UV protectants to keep the sun from drying out the leather.
  3. The transfer of natural oils and grease to the surface of upholstery leather can change the colour and feel, contributing to the development of the individual character of the leather. However, if you don’t want this, use a cushion or other covering.
  4. Always remove contaminants as quickly as possible, to avoid residues building up on the surface of the leather.
  5. Clean your leather regularly and wipe it in a circular fashion. Don’t rub the material too hard.
  6. Use a damp cloth (no microfiber cloth), moistened with clean wàter.
  7. Dry and polish the leather with a dry cloth.
  8. Avoid soaking leather but if it does become wet, allow it to dry naturally.
  9. Avoid chemical cleaning agents that contain solvents, such as alcohol.
  10. Generally, test all cleaning agents on a non-visible area.
  11. Suede leather products: avoid water as much as possible and clean them with suede-specific brush, cleaner and conditioner.
  12. Severe chemical contaminations, such as with lubricating oil, tar or dyes, may require specialist cleaning.
  13. Popular household remedies such as beeswax are not appropriate. This clogs the pores, and the remaining residues generate a squeaking and jarring sound on the leather surface.
  14. Only use professional leather care products.

You can access the original newsletter HERE.

COTANCE calls on the European Comission to regulate the use of the term «Leather»

Content posted by: COTANCE

The Italian Council of Ministers approved last May the long-awaited Decree protecting the term “leather”. The new law imposes a ban on the deceptive use of the term “leather” (“pelle” e “cuoio” in Italian language) when applied to identify materials not deriving from animals. Deterring sanctions will be imposed on infringements ascertained on the Italian market.

The Confederation of National Associations of Tanners and Dressers of the European Community (COTANCE) hails this important regulatory achievement in one of the top priorities of Europe’s leather industry: “I wholeheartedly welcome this development that will put an end to the rogue usurpation of our sector’s terminology by materials hiding their actual composition behind the good name and reputation of leather!” said COTANCE President, Andreas Kindermann (Austria). “I only regret that the European Union does not grant to leather this protection across all member States, while it does it for the textile sector and milk products” he adds.

Leather authenticity rules exist in Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Lithuania and Spain, and on industry standards in Germany (RAL) and within CEN and ISO, as well as in other markets such as the USA and Brazil. The regulatory failure at EU level is now being responded with legislative initiatives at national level with Italy being the first country to deliver. Portugal and Hungary are closely following.

You can access the original post HERE.