Categoria: Leather

What is genuine leather? (And what isn’t?)

Original content posted by: ONE4LEATHER.

You would think it was a simple question: What is genuine leather? But if you Google that query you will come up with a whole range of definitions – and a lot of them are completely wrong. The problem isn’t simply a question of whether genuine means ‘real’ or ‘synthetic’, but that people confuse the term with ways of grading leather. Not to mention the confusion caused by people using the term ‘leather’ to include faux leathers (it really is time for leather to have protected status in law). This article is an attempt to set the record straight once and for all.

Genuine leather – definition 

The International Council of Tanners defines leather as:

“The hide or skin of an animal with its original fibrous structure more or less intact, tanned to be imputrescible. The hair or wool may, or may not, have been removed. Leather is also made from a hide or skin which has been split into layers or segmented either before or after tanning. However, if the tanned hide or skin is disintegrated mechanically and/or chemically into fibrous particles, small pieces or powders and then, with or without the combination of a binding agent, is made into sheets or other forms, such sheets or forms are not leather. If the leather has a surface coating, this surface layer, however applied, must not be thicker than 0.15mm.”

It also defines ‘coated leather’ and ‘bonded leather’:

“Coated leather is leather where the surface coating applied to the leather does not exceed one third of the total thickness of the product but is in excess of 0.15mm.”

“Materials where the leather fibres have been disintegrated and then reconstituted are not leather, but can be called bonded leather fibre or leather fibre board, if the leather fibre makes up more than 50% of the material. If there is any other component apart from leather fibre, binding material and leather auxiliaries, then this should be declared as part of the description”.

‘Genuine leather’ is not a ‘grade’. Just means ‘real’.

Some definitions found on the internet are completely incorrect. For instance, the term ‘genuine leather’ DOES NOT describe the ‘grain’ or the ‘quality’ of a leather. As we can see from the definition above, the term refers solely to the authenticity of the material in question. Mike Batson from North Star Leather has written extensively about the “myth” of “genuine” being taken as a grade of leather. His definition of ‘genuine leather’ could not be clearer: “Simply put, it just means ‘real’ – a distinguisher from ‘synthetic’.

Batson theorises that misinformation like this came about because in the past, ‘genuine leather’ was stamped on all kinds of leather goods – including the highest quality ones. But many manufacturers found that as long as they used a base layer of cheap leather they could pass off products with a polyurethane top layer as ‘genuine leather’. Over time, people caught on to this sleight of hand and began to associate the ‘genuine leather’ tag as a sign that they were being taken for a ride.

In reality, ‘genuine’ just means ‘real’. In an article that debunks the genuine myth, Batson defines the term in a way we can all understand: “It’s very similar to using the word ‘wood’ when talking about furniture: the vast majority of ‘wood furniture’ you can buy today is particle board, but that doesn’t mean all ‘wood’ furniture is particle board or low quality. It can be applied to everything from cheap particle board, to plywood, to high-end exotics”.

Types of leather: the definitive story

‘Top grain leather’ refers to one which includes the outermost layer of the hide – or the ‘grain’. It can come in a variety of thicknesses and may include the fibrous ‘corium’ layer of the hide which is made of collagen.

If the grain is left completely intact we refer to it as ‘full grain leather’. Good quality genuine leather belts are good examples. But if the surface of the top grain leather has been ‘finished’ in some way, for example, having blemishes sanded away, dyes added or embossing done, we call it ‘corrected grain leather’. One particular type of corrected grain leather is ‘nubuck’, which is created by buffing the grain to reveal the hide’s fibres, which give a velvety ‘nap’ to the leather.

During the tanning process, most hides are ‘split’ which means the top grain layer is removed leaving a bottom layer which can be used to make ‘split’ or ‘suede leather. This stage also determines the thickness of the grain layer. Different applications – such as shoes or seat covers – require different thicknesses of leather.

You can read the original content HERE.

A restart with a bang: more than 11.000 visitors at Lineapelle

Original content posted by: LA CONCERIA.

A restart with a bang. It is that of Lineapelle which closed its stands after three days of exhibitions and events that brought more than 11,000 visitors from over 70 countries to the fair.

Splenda Leather has been present at this fair, thus reactivating its international face-to-face activity. It has been a pleasant experience and a great satisfaction to be able to meet colleagues and clients again in such a special event as is certainly the case in Milan.

Restart with a bang

The return in the presence of Lineapelle, from 22 to 24 September at Fieramilano Rho “showed a reassuring energy and positivity” –writes the fair in a note–. More than 11,000 visitors, from over 70 countries, went to discover the collections for winter 2022/2023 presented by 725 exhibitors, demonstrating that the market has a concrete desire to restart the engines. The world, therefore, has returned to LINEAPELLE. And the exhibition confirms itself as “the best place to be” for searching materials for the manufacturing industry of fashion, accessories, design, automotive.

A turnout that we never imagined

“An excellent restart –comments the president of Lineapelle Gianni Russo–, with 725 exhibitors who have given life to a frenetic activity, presenting collections of the highest profile. We had a turnout that we never imagined could reach these levels. This gives us hope for a return to normality”. The panorama of the origins of visitors is very significant, on which the international restrictions due to the management of the pandemic weighed. In the top ten are Germany, France, Spain and Portugal. But non-EU countries (such as Switzerland and Turkey) also appear along with the United States. There was no shortage of representatives from major manufacturing countries (China, Brazil and Vietnam) and buyers from strategic markets such as the Russian Federation, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.

You can read the original content HERE.

Debunking the methane myth

Content posted by: LEATHER NATURALLY.

Meat & Livestock Australia has created a simple animation that explains the difference in the environmental impact of methane from cows and carbon dioxide from fossil fuels.

Methane is part of the natural carbon cycle that after 12 years breaks down into natural CO2 and water. Grass absorbs the CO2 by photosynthesis and the cycle starts again. CO2 from fossil fuels is new and does not come from this natural carbon cycle, so remains in the atmosphere for potentially 1,000 years.

The difference between methane from livestock and CO2 from fossil fuels is widely misunderstood and misreported – this animation makes it easy to understand:

 

 

You can read the original content HERE.

Foto: Leather Cluster BCN

Leather Cluster Barcelona participates in the cycle ‘Sustainable Experiences’

Content posted by: LEATHER CLUSTER BARCELONA.

On 17 June, Leather Cluster Barcelona took part in the first day of the ‘Sustainable Experiences’ cycle, at the Espai Guasch in Capellades (Barcelona).

The ‘Sustainable Experiences’ are born of the concern for the environment and sustainability. It is an integrative and open project that wants to become a space for reflection and debate to raise awareness and promote actions and projects of sustainability.

In line with the demands of society, ‘Sustainable Experiences’ want to increase environmental and ecological awareness, giving voice and amplifying the message of those practices that directly and positively affect the environment: sustainable business projects, initiatives for contribute to caring for nature or actions to address ecological concerns around consumption.

This first meeting, which brought together more than 40 people, discussed sustainability and zero waste, and had the interventions of featured speakers such as Jordi Vidal, executive director of Leather Cluster Barcelona, ​​who presented different examples of transformation of waste in resources in which the cluster is working.

During the guest speech, it was emphasized that we are in a time of paradigm shift in which a positive view is needed: the rejections of one sector can be the raw material of another. The waste of a production process can have a second useful life, being valued in raw materials by other industries or processes.

You can read the original content HERE.

Is real leather environmentally friendly?

Content posted by: Leather Naturally.

Leather Naturally published an article asking “Is leather environmentally friendly?”. The simple answer is “yes”. Leather is a highly versatile, widely used material and there are a number of elements in its manufacture that contribute to its environmental credentials.

Leather as a raw material is renewable, and in products it is long-lasting and repairable. It is made from a by-product of the food industry. If this by-product were not converted into leather, it would be thrown into a landfill, a significant environmental risk.

Leather can be repaired, refurbished and re-purposed but it has also been recycled for well over 70 years into leather fibre board, a material used in footwear, or sometimes as ground up trimmings for stuffing boxing punch bags. A lot of R&D is currently ongoing to expand the applications for leather recycling. Leather is made from a by-product of the food industry. If this by-product were not converted into leather, it would be thrown into a landfill, a significant environmental risk.

And as a natural product, leather will biodegrade in a typical landfill in 10 to 50 years, depending on the type of leather. A typical Polyvinyl Chloride plastic material takes 500+ years to break down in the same environment.

You can read the original content HERE.

Cosmetics and fertilizers from leftover hair of leather tanning

Content posted by: LEDERPIEL.

The hair left over from the leather tanning process can be used as raw material in the manufacture of cosmetics and fertilizers. This is demonstrated by an investigation by the research group of the Igualada University Campus-UdL A3 Leather Innovation Center, focused on the use of a problematic residue for the tanning industry such as hair.

The use of the residue has been made from the extraction of its protein in order to obtain keratin products that represent an added value for other industries, such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. This protein thus becomes raw material to make, for example, face and hair creams, plant fertilizers and can even be used as a supplement in animal feed.

Several companies in the cosmetic and fertilizer sector have already been interested in the product and it is expected that it can be commercialized shortly.

You can read the original article HERE.

Facts about leather

Content posted by: COTANCE.

Leather is a material almost as old as mankind. A wearable natural second skin, it has provided protection, warmth and elegance to mankind for thousands of years. Is this material still up-to-date?

The first humans needed to hunt for meat (protein, iron). Even if sustainability was unknown to them, they wasted nothing of their prey as animals could provide much more than food. Horns, claws and hooves were used as amulets, needles or weapons. Later, they learned how to use the skin and hair. They discovered that skins washed in a pond with old wood did not rot on their shoulders, as others did. They learned how to treat them and turn them into leather. In time, they became more proficient in drying, salting and tanning, making their new second skin soft, durable and strong against the wind and bad weather.

Our leather comes from the animals we hunt (such as deerskin, wild boars, etc) and from animals we rear for the production of food (cattle, sheep, goat, rabbits and certain fish). Their hide or skin is a residue that tanners recover and recycle.

The tanning process has evolved over the centuries and become environmentally conscious, as well as safer for tannery workers (look at the video below). The places in the world where the processing and working conditions are unacceptable are fewer and fewer. The International Council of Tanners (ICT) and all its members reject and condemn these practices that do not in any way accurately represent  the  modern leather industry and its products.

Something has not changed though: we humans still try to make the most of slaughtered animals and avoid wasting any of their by-products, especially their skins. Today leather is still a very appealing material. Genuine leather transports moisture and regulates body temperature, making it comfortable to wear.

When a material has such great properties, it’s bound to be imitated. So, beware of fakes that free-ride the good name and reputation of leather. Such substitutes are not leather and it is illegal to call them leather in EU Member States and other countries. Their characteristics do not come close to the performances of leather in terms of breathability, durability, sustainability and beauty.

When you buy leather, we want you to buy leather, real leather, nothing else.

You can read the original article HERE.

Odour and emission reduction in leather tanneries

Content posted by: One4Leather.

One 4 Leather recently published an article entitled “Odour and emission reduction in leather tanneries”.

There is a lot to be said for the reduction of chemicals and hazardous substances in production and products. After all, health and safety matters to us, animals, and our planet. However, the natural alternatives we used in the past are not always something we would like to return to, particularly when it comes to leather tanning.

Leather tanneries were located on the outskirts of towns, preferably on the far end so the wind would not carry the smell. Animal hides were originally processed using urine and dog faeces. The urine would help clean the leather, whereas the faeces contain enzymes that helped prepare the collagen in the hide. As this was often done in the open air, the smell of urine, faeces and decaying wastes were carried by the wind. Not particularly enjoyable, but a regular part of city life in the olden days. Up until the Victorian age, it was perfectly normal for the inhabitants of cities to collect dog faeces and urine for the exact purpose of leather making, therefore, the streets were relatively clean.

Modern processing has removed the need for these odorous ingredients. Even vegetable tanning, a method that also used the old technologies, has modernised. However, modern use of chemicals and other agents bring with them a new challenge: to manage the processes and chemistry to minimise any odour.

Modern tanning methods may have gaseous emissions. More often than not, the chemistry of tanning is carefully controlled to prevent any emissions, but where they do arise, the gaseous emissions are controlled using modern technology, such as filtration systems, which capture any emissions and prevent them from going anywhere.

The European Leather Industry reports significant reductions in VOCs in leather production. Greener chemistry and effective (waste)water management have contributed to a reduction of pollutants in the exhausts from tanneries. Tanners have also invested in circular processes where process heat is reused for thermal processes (or green energy, lowering CO2 and NO2 Production.

You can read the original article HERE.

Tanneries’ commitment to sustainable leather

Content posted by: Leather Naturally.

Leather Naturally recently published an article asking “Is leather sustainable?” and tries to answer the question.

In their opinion, the answer is clear: yes. If sustainable means converting materials that would be otherwise thrown away to make the products we use to live, keeping things for a long time, repairing them when we need to, passing them on to someone else to use after us and, eventually, recycling the product as many times as possible. Leather is most certainly sustainable.

And the leather industry is also an excellent example of the circular economy, as set out by the European Commission in December 2019, its sustainable consumption and production support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Leather’s durability, longevity and recyclability as a natural product are underpinned by regulations and quality standards in many countries to ensure that sustainability credentials are met and maintained throughout its production.

Responsible tanneries are also very transparent about their compliance data and openly share the following areas of information with their customers: how they comply with environmental controls, how they manage wastewater and other waste, how they use and manage chemicals including restricted substances, how tanneries keep their leather workers safe, how they calculate how much energy and water they use and how customers can track a leather supply chain.

Tanneries like Splenda Leather are firmly committed to these principles of responsibility, sustainability and transparency. We are very sure that the tanning industry has come a long way in recent years and, with everyone’s commitment, we hope that in a few more years we will be appreciated as a benchmark of a sustainable productive sector worldwide.

You can read the original content HERE.

Olipo Project: vegetable tanning from olive residues

Content posted by: Lederpiel.

A residue from the extraction of olive oil called bagasse contains tannins that allow the leather to tan naturally, reducing the use of chemicals in the process. This is confirmed by a recent investigation by the A3 Leather Innovation Center Chair, of the Igualada-UdL University Campus, specialized in the leather production chain. The Olipo Project will facilitate the production of leather goods that are more ecological and free of contaminants such as chromium.

This research not only makes the leather industry more sustainable but also contributes to highlighting a residue from the oil extraction industry. According to the director of A3 Leather Innovation Center, Anna Bacardit, the use of bagasse “allows us to obtain top quality ecological leather, while revaluing a problematic waste from the olive oil extraction industry”.

Of the total material that is provided for olive production, only 20 percent is the final squeezed product and the remaining 80 percent is bagasse, that is, the remains of husk, bones and other residues of the raw material. Thus, the Olipo Project proposes new strategies within the framework of the circular economy, establishing synergies between the two industries.

You can read the original article HERE