Category: leather

Content published by: Lederpiel

Between January and February 2022, Spanish foreign sales of tanned hides exceeded the levels it marked before the coronavirus crisis broke out. Like processed hides, exports of semi-tanned hides were also well above what they were in 2020, before lockdowns and travel restrictions. Only the sales of raw hides showed negative figures in relation to 2020.

According to data from the General Directorate of Customs, during the first two months of 2022 compared to 2021, exports of raw hides grew by 15.4 percent (3.5 million euros more), those of Semi-tanned hides soared 27.7 percent (2.7 million euros more) and those of tanned hides increased 52.5 percent (21.8 million euros more).

However, if we compare the accumulated figures for 2022 with those of 2020, Spanish exports of raw hides fell by 4.1 percent, while those of semi-tanned hides grew by 15.8 percent and those of tanned hides , by 3 percent.

Imports

Regarding imports of hide and leather, during January and February 2022 compared to the previous year, purchases abroad of raw hides increased by 43.2 percent (3.2 million euros more); the importation of semi-tanned hides, 80.3 percent (8.1 million euros more) and, finally, those of tanned hides, 55.7 percent (14.6 million euros more).

In relation to the accumulated figures of 2020, imports of raw hides decreased by 15.9 percent and those of semi-tanned hides , by 0.7 percent; while those of tanned hides grew by 0.7 percent.

Consequently, the leather trade balance in the first two months of 2022 showed an imbalance in general terms in favor of exports of 32.3 million euros.

You can read the original content HERE.

Content published by: Leather Naturally

Real leather (leather) is a by-product of the meat industry. It is a natural, renewable material upcycled from the hides and skins that would otherwise go to waste in landfill.

Synthetic ‘leather’ is usually made with synthetic components like PU, nylon, PVC, etc.  to have the same appearance as real leather. Sometimes these materials are labeled ‘Vegan Leather’ because they are not derived from animals. Technically none of them are leather, it is just a marketing shorthand used to describe them. Want to know more about the difference in labelling? Check out our fact sheet Leather & Leather alternatives.

How can I tell the difference between leather and synthetic leather?

Imitation materials usually have a rubbery or ‘shiny’ surface feel, which is uniform in appearance. They are colder to the touch and often there is a ‘plastic’ smell.  Many have a textile backer or middle layer – this can be seen on cut edges. Synthetic materials will also burn more easily than leather, shrinking and curling with the heat.

Real leather usually has a natural ‘grain’ to its surface, but even when finished to be smooth it has a distinctive leather smell. Look for cut edges – you can see the texture and uniformity of the fibres through the leather structure. In more premium leather goods raw edges are finished with colour and polished. Attention to a detail like this is usually a sign that the material is leather.

Many synthetics are printed with a leather grain effect or products are made with a turned construction that hides cuts edges. It can make it hard to tell them apart from the real thing, so how DO you tell the difference and make sure you are getting value for money?

Look for the label

If you are still unsure, look for the label. In the EU and the USA brands have a responsibility to clearly state the composition of materials used in the products they make and sell. If it is leather, the label will say that it is leather. If the material is plastic or polyurethane (PU) it is not permitted to simply use the term ‘synthetic leather’, it must state what that synthetic material is. Sometimes it is referred as Manmade Material, again this is not leather.

In an increasing number of countries, such as Brazil, Italy and Portugal, the term leather may not be used in conjunction with synthetic materials at all.

In the same way, if a material has a plant component, it may not be simply labelled, (for example) ‘Leaf Leather’, it should also state what percentage is plant-based and what percentage is other materials that have been combined with it, (this is usually done to add strength and stability.)

If the label is not clear, it is unlikely that the product is real leather.

How do I make sure I’m getting real leather?

Responsible brands are transparent in the labelling of their products.

Increasingly brands that use leather refer to Leather Working Group (LWG) certification to be open about the origin and best manufacturing practice of the leather they use. Look for this on product details or website descriptions.

If you are not able to access material label claims, you may need to message the brand for more complete information.

Want to know more?

How do I learn more about leather?
The Leather Naturally fact sheet, Everything You Need to Know About Leather looks at where leather comes from, its ability to be recycled and biodegrade as well as sustainability and manufacturing practice.

What does it say on the label?
Making senses of label confusion is clearly explained in the fact sheet, Leather & Leather Alternatives

Want would happen if we stopped using leather?
A study in the USA did the maths – Read the article here

How do synthetic and alternative materials differ in performance from leather?
The Research Institute for Leather & Synthetic Materials (FILK) made a wide-ranging study of the performance benefits of leather and a range of other materials to determine their strength and wear suitability for different products. You can read the full report here.

You can read the original content HERE.

Original content posted by: Lederpiel.

The A3 Leather Innovation Center of the University of Lleida (UdL), located in Igualada (Barcelona), offers a new massive online Tanning Technician Course, the first of its kind in Europe. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are online courses aimed at a large number of participants through the Internet according to the principle of “open and massive” education.

Tanning Technician training consists of 25 hours of virtual classes and 25 face-to-face teaching hours. It has been launched after a pilot test carried out in several companies in the leather sector in Igualada, which has made it possible to detect their needs and create a specific action protocol to cover them. In this training, general and specific knowledge will be acquired in the fields of leather production processes, leather chemistry, wet processing operations, mechanics, finishing, leather quality, sustainability through technologies clean available and monitoring of risks.

Skills4Smart TCLF
The A3 Center promotes this course within the framework of the European project Skills4Smart Textiles, Clothing, Leather and Footwear (TCLF) Industries 2030 together with Euratex, an organization that works to achieve a favorable environment for the textile and clothing sector within the European Union (EU), and other European partners. The UdL and the Igualada’s research center are 2 of the 115 institutions, organizations and companies that have recently signed the TCLF Competence Pact, committing to improve the attractiveness of the textile, fashion, leather and footwear sectors and to invest in the retraining of workers, integrating ecological and digital skills.

From the beginning of this year 2022, the European Commission will offer the signatories of the Pact for Skills to benefit from collaboration at EU, national and regional level and, in particular, access to networks, knowledge, guidance and resource centers. One of the objectives of this pact is to design and deploy courses that promote the latest technologies, tools and digital skills and encourage activities of durability, repair and waste management (green skills), in particular circular design skills. It is in this line that the Tanning Technician course has been promoted, which will be taught online and with internships in companies in Igualada.

You can read the original post HERE.

Original content posted by: COTANCE.

118 organisations have signed the Textiles, Clothing, Leather and Footwear (TCLF) Pact for Skills, an initiative promoted by the European Commission and promoted by EURATEX, COTANCE and CEC, the umbrella organisations of these industries in Europe. The signatories acknowledge the skills challenge in the textiles-leather ecosystem, and commit to invest in reskilling and upskilling workers, integrating green and digital skills and improving the attractiveness of the sector. Signatories of the Pact will benefit from networking, guidance and resources offered by the EC to implement the targets which are proposed in the Pact.

The Pact for Skills is part of the EU Industrial Strategy, addressing the competitiveness of 14 critical ecosystems, including the one on textiles, leather and footwear. The main aim of the Pact is maximising the impact of investments in improving existing skills (upskilling) and training in new skills (reskilling). To reach such an ambitious goal, the Pact gathers various actors in the TCLF sectors: industry, employers, social partners, national and regional authorities, education and training providers. These actors should work together and invest in large-scale skills partnerships, guarantee exchange of best practices and increase the attractiveness of the sector.

Specifically, the TCLF Pact for Skills focuses on 5 objectives and for each of them, the signatories identified a certain number of target actions:

1. Promoting a culture of lifelong learning for all: one of the actions is to design and roll out courses promoting latest technologies and digital tools such as VR and AI (digital skills) and promoting durability, repair and waste management activities (green skills), in particular circular design skills.
2. Building a strong skills partnership with relevant stakeholders: signatories foresee to build regional and cross-sectoral partnerships between industry, education providers and authorities, which are adapted to their specific needs.
3. Monitoring skills supply/demand and anticipating skills needs: to reach it, industry, policy and education stakeholders will establish the TCLF Skills Observatory.
4. Working against discrimination and for gender equality and equal opportunities: signatories will launch a TCLF manifesto of diversity and a supporting initiative to improve the gender balance and ensure equal opportunities for all.
5. Raising awareness & attractiveness on the TCLF industries, i.a. though dedicated information campaigns, showcasing the opportunities in the sector and promoting mobility for young workers.

As of early 2022, the European Commission will offer signatories of the Pact for Skills to benefit from collaboration at EU, national and regional levels and in particular gain access to networking, knowledge and guidance & resource hubs.

Download the TCLF Pact for Skills

You can read the original content HERE.

Original content posted by: COTANCE.

According to FAO data, there are around 1,600 million cattle around the world, 1,150 million sheep and 1,000 million goats.

The reasons for having animals are multiple, ranging from raising them for the production of milk and meat, to using them as a source of social prestige, assets, traction force or as a means of transportation.

Cattle transform grass and leaves that man cannot assimilate into highly nutritious food. In the EU, almost 50% of its forage comes from grasslands; the rest is made up of feed from forage crops, crop residues, oilseed cakes, by-products and around 13% of cereals. Livestock keeps our pastures and their biodiversity in good condition.

Animal welfare standards are essential and the EU Animal Welfare Policy includes the “Five freedoms for animal welfare in animal husbandry“. Animal welfare is an ethical duty. An obligation that only has advantages; only well cared for and healthy animals produce quality milk and, at the end of their lives, tasty meat. Furthermore, only well-treated animals have healthy leather or fur, which can be processed by tanners to obtain a beautiful leather.

On the contrary, the lack or the poor welfare of the animals only have adverse consequences. If there is suffering of the animals, also the farmers suffer losses and, at the end of the chain, a tanner who does not obtain a quality raw material. Animal diseases, parasite attacks, skin lesions or allergies are revealed when hides are transformed into leather.

Tanners can read hides and skins like an open book. They can identify how the animal has been treated during its life and whether the slaughter and skinning have been done professionally. The fewer defects they find, the better the animals have been treated.

A good quality hide produces a good quality leather. Whenever possible, European tanners select and choose only the best. They invest time, resources and efforts in transparency and traceability to feed information on defects into their initial supply chains and help continually improve quality through better animal welfare.

More quality leather means a more sustainable value chain; less waste, better ethics and more prosperity for all.

Original content posted by: Leather Naturally.

The leather industry is creating a product that is both natural and long lasting – leather is unique in its ability to combine beauty, comfort and practicality:

1. Reduces waste: leather is a natural by-product

Modern leather manufacturing recycles over 270 million cow hides each year. These are a by-product of the food industry and without the ability of the leather industry to transform them into leather, over 7 million tonnes would go to landfill with huge environmental and biological impact. Leather makes a sustainable contribution to a society that needs to consume less, reuse more and a recycle everything.

2. Long-lasting: good leather ages well and lasts 

Well made leather lasts a long time and unlike most man-made, or synthetic materials it gets better with age, acquiring a depth of patina and wear pattern pattern that is individual to the user – much like a favourite pair of jeans. As we mindfully look for ways to lower consumption, leather very much fits with the ethos of ‘buy less, buy better’. Investing in quality leather products, is investing for the future.

3. Repairable: easy to repair and maintain 

The journey towards sustainability starts with products that can be repaired for longevity of use. Leather needs very little in the way of life-time maintenance and it easy to do at home, it does not draw heavily on resources for laundering and drying for example and we increasingly see the revival of artisan skills/offering repair services for treasured leather goods.

4. Recyclable: leather and leather by-products can be recycled

Leather trimmings from the manufacturing process can be repurposed as stuffing, (into boxing punch bags for example) or combined with other materials to make composite products such as leatherboard, which is used for insoles and heel inserts in footwear. Leather at end of life can be ground down to use in this way too. At the very end of its life leather will biodegrade, depending on type in between 10 & 50 years. We see leather trims being creatively incorporated into wall coverings, plus more and more companies are recycling the leather component from footwear and leathergoods into something new.

5. Vesatile: leather has many varied end uses

The skills of the leather makers take the same basic raw material and turn it into a many different ‘fabrics’ with different qualities and benefits. Leather can be engineered to be durable enough for furniture yet soft enough for comfort footwear. It will make the finest dress gloves or protective, abrasion resistant motorcycling gloves. Leather makes the most supple of jackets or the firmest of walking boots.

6. Comfortable: leather has a natural comfort

Leather has a ‘breathability’ that more easily allows body temperature to be regulated, it will naturally absorb and hold moisture away from the skin until it can evaporate to the outside. It will also mould to the wearer – whether it’s a glove, a shoe, leather jacket or wallet that’s been carried in a back pocket for years, leather conforms to its wearer for a very individual comfort and fit.

7. Beautiful: leather is naturally beautiful 

Leather has a natural beauty that, unlike many materials, improves with age. Although every hide or skin is different, leather manufacturers work to bring out its best qualities, whether that’s a completely aniline or ‘naked’ appearance to one that is expertly finished to combine durability and easy care.

8. Luxurious: the handle of leather adds luxury 

Leather has long been a component of luxury goods, from covetable handbags to footwear and clothing. It has a distinctive touch and wear quality that cannot be replicated and for that reason it is often combined with hardedged technology to provide a more luxurious and personal feel to an item that is otherwise anonymous. As with all natural materials it creates a user experience that is more emotional, less functional.

You can read the original content HERE.

And you can download the factsheet HERE.