Categoría: Ecology

Content posted by: Lederpiel.

Lederpiel publishes, this March, a news item entitled «Leather, imitated but not equaled». It explains that a study has recently been carried out in Europe to assess a total of 9 alternatives to leather of animal origin and that they are promoted as alternatives to it.

Specifically, the elements studied were Desserto (cactus), Kombucha (mushroom), Pinatex (pineapple), Noani (eucalyptus), Appleskin (apple skin), Vegea (grape residue), SnapPap (paper skin), Teak Leaf (teak leaves) and Muskin (mushroom). The samples were analyzed at the independent Research Institute for Leather and Synthetic Materials (FILK) in Freiberg, Germany. The FILK examined the technical properties of these nine leather alternatives, resulting in the Trend Alternatives for Skin Study. The conclusion of this report is clear: none of the substitutes tested exhibited all the intrinsic characteristics of the skin, while some of the substitutes were found to contain chemicals of concern.

For the European employers’ association of tanners, “the result of the study concludes that until today the leather is much superior to its substitutes. It is important that customers and consumers are aware of the deficit in properties of alternative materials.

You can access the original content HERE.

Video posted by: Cotance

The 2nd Social and Environmental Report of the European Leather Industry is an EU-sponsored joint initiative from COTANCE and industriAll-Europe, the Social Partners of the industry. Their aim is to help tanneries position themselves against a European benchmark, measure their progress over time, serve as a communication tool for the public, and as a model for other regions of the world.

In today’s markets, transparency is key and European tanneries have understood this well and taken appropriate action. They strive towards excellence in social and environmental performance.

Judge for yourself the commitment of the men and women of Europe’s tanneries, to sustainability:

Disclaimer:

This video has been funded with support from the European Commission. The sole responsibility for the content of this video lies with the authors. It does not represent the opinion of the EU.

The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

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.

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.

Content posted by: RealLeather

The Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) have recently unveiled the first in a series of videos as part of a new international campaign communicating the natural, sustainable and durable nature of leather.

Launched under the banner of “Real Leather. Stay Different.”, the campaign will feature three videos and social shorts looking at nature and sustainability, the importance of sourcing quality leather and leather in fashion.

It showcases leather as the material of choice for artisans and craftsmen, and positions leather products as the sign of the individual who values enduring style over fast fashion. The campaign comes as the fashion world considers the social and environmental impacts of fast fashion and the use of low-cost, disposable materials.

LHCA President Stephen Sothmann commented:

“With leather, we create beautiful and durable items from by-products that would otherwise be destined for landfills, items that will last for many, many years. This campaign reminds us of that long history, the qualities that make leather desirable and its contribution to a more sustainable society.  Leather products may be costlier, but there are good reasons why they represent real value for all.”

You can access the original post HERE.