Closing the circle: how to know if leather is compostable?

Content posted by: Lederpiel

A great way to promote the sustainable use of leather, after its useful life, would be to use it for composting and its subsequent use as fertilizer for plants, once it has been reduced to mineralized organic matter.

This requires the development, in addition to more sustainable and chromium-free leathers, of methodologies and standards that allow a clear and precise assessment of the potential of these materials to be used for composting purposes. Currently there is no procedure or standard to evaluate leather as a possible candidate for composting processing, which does exist, for example, for the plastics sector.

For this reason, the Spanish footwear technology center, Inescop, within the framework of the BIOREQ Project, financed by the Ivace and the Feder Funds, is working on a test methodology that allows establishing the necessary requirements to validate leather as a compostable material.

Consequently, the BIOREQ Project will contribute to promoting the leather sector, facilitating its revaluation at the end of its useful life, also contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), mainly in the Innovative Industry Category (SDG 9) and Responsible Production (SDG 12).

You can read the original information HERE.

COTANCE presents the Social and Environmental Report of the European Leather Industry 2020

Report published by: COTANCE

The Confederation of National Associations of Tanners and Dressers of the European Community (COTANCE) has just published the Social and Environmental Report of the European Leather Industry (SER 2020).

Increasing transparency in tanneries is an ongoing endeavour for all parties in the leather industry. For more than a decade, the social partners have consistently demonstrated that leather-making is good for people, the planet and prosperity. They have communicated to Europe’s citizens that when leather-making is performed responsibly, it fulfils important societal needs.

Europe’s tanneries are not comparable with the dreadful images of irresponsible operators conveyed so often through the internet and social media. On the contrary, they are plants combining craftmanship and art in an industry that exemplifies better than any other the circular economy; an industry that is seeking young people propel it into the future.

The striving of Europe’s leather sector towards excellence in social and environmental performance has, with the support of the European Commission, been realised in a series of joint projects.

This SER 2020 allows you to judge for yourself the commitment of the men and women of Europe’s tanneries, to sustainability.

The document can be downloaded in several languages HERE.