Vegetable tanning - Splenda Quality Leather

Durability versus fast fashion

Original content by: Lederpiel

The international leather (Cotance), footwear (CEC), fur (IFF) and wool (IWTO) associations have joined forces to defend natural and durable materials against fast fashion. These four organisations have produced a joint statement addressed to the Technical Secretariat of the Product Environmental Footprint Standards Category (Pefcr) on Clothing and Footwear (A&F). In it they express their disagreement with the current method for calculating the “service life” of clothing and shoes. According to Cotance, CEC, IFF and IWTO, the main concern is the precedent that this calculation method is setting in the broader EU regulatory context. “An immature methodology for calculating the environmental footprint of clothing and footwear products risks having highly damaging effects on the diversity and competitiveness of industries in the ecosystem”, the associations say.

What is wrong with current durability metrics for clothing and footwear? According to these four representative organisations for leather, footwear, fur and wool, they penalise natural and longer-lasting materials, and consumer products made from them.

Joint statement

The main concern lies in the unit of measurement adopted by the Technical Secretariat, which develops the methodology and the representativeness of the default values for the durability of clothing and footwear products taken from Higg.

The signatories of the joint statement oppose the measure being expressed in a number of “uses” rather than in real time in “years”. This approach, taken from the Higg Product Module, “does not reflect the real lifespan of products or the opinion of all stakeholders in the sector”, explain the four associations. In addition, neither the product segmentation nor the default values for service life take into account the unique properties of the different materials. “As a result, the method favours products that are purchased and thrown away after just a few ‘uses’ and penalises those designed to last much longer than the methodology can deliver,” the signatories of the joint statement say.

The organisations representing the views of the footwear, fur, leather and wool industries propose that service life be expressed in years rather than uses and that the durability characteristics that materials confer on products be appropriately integrated into product segmentation or the reference flow. “This change would provide a more accurate and meaningful assessment of a product’s lifespan, helping both consumers and manufacturers make informed decisions,” they say.

You can access the original article HERE

The tanning sector must see itself as a circular economy system

Original content by: Real Leather

The circular economy is a sustainable and innovative economic model that seeks to redefine the traditional linear “take, make, dispose” model of production and consumption. Instead, it promotes a system where resources are used for as long as possible, the maximum value is extracted from them while they’re in use, and products and materials are then recovered and regenerated at the end of their useful life.

How does the circular economy work?

The circular economy can be visualized as a loop. These are the steps to make that loop as smooth as possible.

Firstly, design out waste and pollution: This starts with the design of products. In a circular economy, products are designed to be durable, easy to repair, and recyclable. Leather comes from a by-product. If not used it would be wasted.

Keep products and materials in use. Create products that last longer, and then find ways to repurpose or recycle them rather than discarding them. This could involve creating sharing platforms, remanufacturing, and recycling.

Regenerate natural systems. Restore and regenerate natural capital, for example, by returning valuable nutrients to the soil or purifying air and water.

Benefits to the leather business

Cost savings. By recycling and reusing materials, businesses can reduce procurement costs. Leather as an alternative to forever plastics makes sound ecological sense.

New revenue streams. By repurposing leather, fashion and practical application of leather can be discovered which in turn will find new markets and revenue opportunities.

Innovation. rethinking products and processes can drive innovation and differentiation in the market.

Resilience. A circular approach can make supply chains more resilient by reducing dependency on scarce resources.

Improved brand image. By using leather that would otherwise be wasted we can show commitment to sustainability and enhance a company’s reputation and customer loyalty.

You can access the original post HERE

Leather Cluster Barcelona publishes a dictionary of natural hides imperfections

Original content by: Lederpiel

Animal hide is very complex, proteinaceous in nature, heterogeneous and extremely irregular. The quality of hides is conditioned by several factors that may have affected the animal’s life and may lead to some type of imperfection or defect: parasites, chafing, scars, marks, etc. On the other hand, during the leather tanning process, some irregularities may also occur that affect the quality of the leather.

With the purpose of providing information to the leather industry in this area, Leather Cluster Barcelona has worked for months to develop an exhaustive catalog that serves as a tool for professionals in the sector in identifying the types of imperfections or defects that it may have.

The Dictionary of Natural Skin Imperfections and Production Irregularities presented by Leather Cluster Barcelona contains a compilation of the main imperfections and defects identified in the leather. Specifically, up to twenty-four different types of imperfections have been characterized. The document includes the list of imperfections (name and key characteristics), the coding, the image of the reference hide associated with the defect (identifying the areas of presence of the defect) and detailed examples of each one. Descriptively, each sheet has information about the area (identification of the main location where the defect is usually located), an observations section with clarifications, explanations and details associated with the imperfection or defect, the difficulty of detection (qualitative measure of the degree of difficulty in detecting this defect by the specialist), the impact of the defect on production (indicates the severity of the defect on the finished product and the frequency (estimation of how often the defect is present: one in five hides, one out of ten, one out of fifty or one out of every hundred).

You can read the Dictionary of Natural Skin Imperfections and Production Irregularities HERE

And so you can access the original post HERE

Alternatives to leather are not always what they seem

Original content by: One4Leather

You have probably heard of the term ‘Vegan Leather’. But what is it really? The name suggests that is derived from plant-based material but is it?

In fact, ‘vegan leather’ isn’t leather at all, nor is it always plant-based. It’s often a material made out polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU) and textile-polymer composite microfibers or other petroleum-based materials. In layman’s terms: plastics. Some newer alternatives are based on plant or fruit fibres, such as apples or pineapples. The traditional leather alternative materials are artificial and have been around for ages as ‘leather alternatives’, but do not possess the same properties as, nor can they be called leather, as the term is strictly defined according to ISO and other European standards as a tanned hide or skin with its original fibrous structure more or less intact.

‘Vegan’ implies ”free-from” any animal products, which makes naming a vegan material ‘leather’ misleading and even contradictory. This should, however, not be confused with ‘vegetable tanned’ leather, which refers to using tannins that originate from plants, such as the tannin in tree bark. Vegetable-tanned leather though is still genuine leather. Leather alternative materials certainly have achieved higher quality over the years, yet they have decidedly different structures and properties to genuine leather.

As an industry, we believe there is a clear difference between authentic leather and alternatives on various fronts, based on material properties. To illustrate the difference, when you do buy leather, you are choosing a material with the following characteristics:

Easy to clean (one of the main reasons why aviation and shared mobility are using it);
‘Breathing’ properties (due to natural fiber structure of the skin);
Strength and durability (leather keeps its quality, year-in year-out);
Flexibility (leather becomes more and more flexible over time, while it still maintains its shape and strength)
Compostability, since leather products can be turned into compost in a matter of weeks as only 1% would remain, which is the surface treatment. This surface coating is the last challenge to make leather a 100% biodegradable material that leaves no footprint in our environment after use.

In the end, it is your choice to make: using or buying artificial material or the real deal. We just wanted to let you know what the difference is, as we believe that transparency is key in order to make a self-conscious decision in what you buy and use.

You can read the original post HERE

Leather: pioneering sustainability and circular fashion in the age of climate action

Original content by: Leather Naturally

As the world grapples with how we can reduce our impact on the environment and actively limit the impacts of climate change, we sit at a vital crossroads in our collective history. Leather is well positioned to be a meaningful part of the solution.

The European Commission has launched an anti-fast fashion campaign specifically designed to educate younger consumers about the negative impacts of fast fashion and to promote the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. The campaign aims to address issues of over-production associated with fast fashion and to prioritize sustainability and longevity.

The European Union is committed to serious action as part of its 2030 Vision for Textiles the cornerstone of which is sustainable fashion – designed to have a positive impact on people and the planet. Read here for more details.

With leather’s inherent properties of durability, reparability and longevity it represents the antithesis of fast fashion. The fact that it utilizes a by-product in order to create a versatile and premium material lends an additional benefit to its key position in the circular economy.

Increasing traceability expectations together with more and more stringent regulations have entirely shifted the modern consumer landscape. Consumers are far more educated than ever before on the provenance of the goods they purchase and the fact that the impacts of their purchasing decisions can be far-reaching.

Within this context, leather takes a by-product that would otherwise need to be disposed of (with its own environmental impacts) and using responsible, traceable and verifiable production processes, offers designers and consumers high quality products that can be repaired, re-cycled and that can last a lifetime.

How can we make an impact?

In addition to industry and government initiatives and regulations being pursued on a global scale, consumers also play an important role in effecting positive change by choosing leather. Please see below for some ideas as to how you can have an impact –

1. Quality over quantity

Invest in high-quality leather products that are durable and timeless, meaning that you can buy fewer items that last longer. Take care to purchase authentic leather pieces rather than synthetic or vegan leather alternatives which can contain high percentages of plastic, petroleum based products etc…which are damaging to the environment and do not have the same durability as leather.

2. Repair and restoration:

Leather products can often be repaired or upcycled and major brands are actively encouraging their consumers to repair their leather products. Many luxury leather brands such as Hermes, Chanel and Loewe offer to repair your leather products with the intent of extending their life and consequently reducing consumption and waste. Some of these services include in-store artisans and even dedicated retail spaces which create an experience for the consumer and build brand value at the same time.

3. Vintage & second hand:

Given the longevity of leather items, there is a strong vintage or second-hand market for leather products which – similarly to above – reduces global consumption and waste and can offer you a point of difference in terms of style and luxury at the same time.

4. Circular economy:

By choosing leather, you can actively support a circular economy in a number of ways. Firstly, by using a by-product of the meat industry, leather avoids hides and skins being sent to landfill and instead uses them to create beautiful and versatile products. In addition to this, you can take advantage of brands that may offer to buy back leather goods for a credit towards a new purchase eg… Mulberry’s circular Exchange program. Repairing your leather products and buying vintage leathergoods are also examples of how you can encourage a circular economy.

5. Timeless design:

Authentic leather products are often designed to be classic and timeless to encourage you to invest in pieces that you can wear for many years rather than to buy into fast fashion. You can also use apps such as Whering which can help you to digitize, curate and style outfits from your own wardrobe as well as fill wardrobe gaps sustainably!

6. Care:

Educate yourself about the quality and origins of what you are buying so that you can make informed choices about purchasing leather products. This will ensure you can keep them for many years and also take care of them well. For more tips on how to best care for your leather items please click here

Splenda Leather bets on solar energy in its production plant

At Splenda Leather, faithful to our permanent commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility in the production process, we have made a significant commitment to self-consumption of energy at our production plant in Igualada (Barcelona).

Together with Grupo IONSE, we have installed a photovoltaic solar plant for self-consumption of 84.15 kWp, with a total of 153 solar modules of 550 Wp each. In this way, in addition to achieving significant savings in network consumption, we will avoid the emission of 28 tons of CO2 per year.

More information HERE

Photo & video: Grupo IONSE

Towards a Zero Impact of the tanning industry in Europe

Original content by: Lederpiel

The Confederation of National Associations of Tanners of the European Community (Cotance) and the European union IndustriALL organized in mid-April in Valencia the conference Towards a Zero Impact of the Tanning Industry in Europe. With this meeting, the aim was to share different business and labor strategies to make the tanning industry a more sustainable and respectful sector with the health and safety of its workers. Among other topics, those attending the conference spoke about how to reduce the carbon footprint, as well as actions aimed at minimizing the accident rate in workplaces. During the day, a couple of visits were also made to two Spanish tanneries.

The event was attended by, among other actors from the tanning industry, representatives of Cotance such as Manuel Ríos and Gustavo González-Quijano; Carmen Arias, general secretary of the European Confederation of the Footwear Industry (CEC), and Anna García, director of the Spanish tanning employers’ association Acexpiel, as well as members of the IndustriALL and UGT-FICA unions and the European Safety Agency and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).

You can read the original post HERE

Leather also has a role to play in the fight against deforestation

Original content by: Lederpiel

How many cows are killed to make a luxury bag? The correct answer is none.

According to a latest report from the NGO World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), leather is entirely a by-product of the meat and dairy industries. Consequently, leather manufacturers are crucial players in stopping the deforestation of forests. This study supports and acknowledges the need to use leather as a by-product and also clearly demonstrates the importance of considering full life cycle analysis of leather.

“Leather is one of the oldest forms of recycling known. There are many benefits to using leather as a by-product of livestock production”, WWF explains in its report. “Leather also has a role to play in fighting deforestation”. However, the NGO points out that the leather industry can play a leading role in the fight against deforestation of our forests, mainly by pressuring ranchers to engage in sustainable grazing and livestock practices. The sale of raw hides can be an economic incentive for farmers. For this reason, according to the WWF, the tanners should use their influence over them to put pressure on them and thus prevent them from continuing to destroy natural ecosystems for the intensive farming of cattle herds.

“Leather is an important by-product of livestock production with a rich history. Its durability and position as a luxury item make it a highly desirable material for consumers. The increase in meat consumption globally means that hides will continue to exist on the market and, if not used for leather, they are often wasted, creating methane while sitting in a landfill”, the WWF report concludes. “The leather industry has an opportunity to intensify and strengthen its efforts to eliminate deforestation and improve the beef supply chain through the additional income that hide sales bring to producers. Companies that purchase leather can use their influence to drive change and accelerate the protection of habitats at risk”, warns the study. “Leather also has a role to play in the fight against deforestation”.

You can download the study HERE

And you can read the original post HERE

A successful green and digital transition of the EU textiles, clothing, leather, and footwear industries

Content published by: COTANCE

The European social partners of the textiles, clothing, leather, and footwear (TCLF) industries agree joint demands to ensure that the textiles ecosystem can become more resilient, sustainable, and digital as set out in the EU textiles strategy. This involves tackling strategic dependencies, appropriate funding, incentives and support to help the European TCLF sectors decarbonise their production and become more circular, and initiatives to ensure that workers have the right skills for the future.

Employers’ and workers’ representatives for the European TCLF sectors, CEC, Cotance, Euratex and industriAll Europe recently met with the European Commission to discuss how to ensure a successful green and digital transition of the EU Textiles Ecosystem. During the meeting, national and European social partners adopted a JOINT STATEMENT setting out clear demands for the TCLF sectors to become more resilient, sustainable, and digital.

The joint statement follows the European Commission’s EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles and the launch of co-creation process towards a transition pathway for a more resilient, sustainable and digital textiles ecosystem (TCLF sectors). The transition pathway recognises the need to build a resilient textiles ecosystem, based on innovation and global competitiveness, noting that the European TCLF sectors face tough global competition, and that measures are needed to encourage sustainable production and consumption in Europe’s internal market.

The strategy aims to ensure that by 2030, the ecosystem’s products placed on the EU market are long-lived and recyclable, while the industry moves from a linear to a circular business model. Initiatives in the strategy include new design requirements for textiles and leather products under the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Initiative, clearer information on products and a Digital Product Passport, measures to tackle greenwashing, and action to discourage the destruction of unsold or returned articles.

As a response, the TCLF social partners have agreed on specific joint demands to ensure that the ecosystem can become more resilient, sustainable, and digital. These include decisive action by Member States and the EU to tackle strategic dependencies, appropriate funding, sound metrics, legal incentives and support to help the European TCLF sectors decarbonise their production and become more circular, and initiatives to ensure that workers have the right skills for the future.

Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano, Secretary General of Cotance, said that “Leather is the best example of a circular economy product, as it is the result of recycling an unavoidable residue of meat production. In doing so, European tanners create wealth and jobs for an entire value chain! The “Green Transition”? It’s our DNA! And leather can and will become even more sustainable, but this needs to be done hand in hand with our regulators and stakeholders.”

The European TCLF social partners agreed to continue their good cooperation including during the co-creation process towards a transition pathway for a more resilient, sustainable and digital textiles ecosystem (TCLF sectors) noting the importance of quality sectoral social dialogue

You can read the original post HERE.

10 FAQs about leather

Content published by: Leather Naturally

Are animals killed for leather?

No, hides come from animals raised for food. This accounts for 99% of the world’s leather.

The main sources of animal hides are cattle – 69%; sheep – 13%; goats – 11%, and pigs – 6%. Their skins are a valuable global resource and, thanks to tanners’ and manufacturers’ skills and knowledge, they ensure this versatile material does not end up in landfill. Current estimates put this at a saving of 7.3 million tonnes for cattle hides alone and around 10 million tonnes in total per year. That is a lot of potential waste being transformed into a versatile, usable material.

Is leather sustainable?

Yes. It converts waste from the food industry that would be otherwise thrown away, to make products we use in everyday life.

• Leather keeps around 10 million tonnes out of landfill a year

• Leather is long-lasting

• Leather products are repairable

• Leather can be recycled

• At its end-of-life phase, leather degrades through chemical and biological means

• The leather industry creates employment and skills for millions worldwide, an important defining factor in sustainability and the circular economy.

Is leather environmentally friendly?

Leather is a highly versatile, widely used material. Responsibly made, it is highly regulated and certified with strong environmental credentials. Leather is a by-product of the food industry that saves around 10 million tonnes of waste from landfill every year.

There are strict requirements regarding the use of chemicals in the leather industry. It is restricted by legal requirements and by many voluntary industrial initiatives which are committed to eliminating potentially harmful substances from the supply chain.

The leather industry has established certified standards that consumers can use to better understand the provenance of the leather and leather products they buy.

Where does leather come from?

Leather is made from the hides of animals, treated and finished to create a durable product suitable for a huge range of uses.

The main sources of animal hides are: Cattle – 69% Sheep – 13% Goat – 11% Pig – 6%

These animals are not raised to make leather. Their hides are a by-product of being raised for food and, transforming them into leather ensures that a valuable resource does not contribute to the waste and environmental impact of landfill.

What is Vegan leather?

Vegan leather (sic) does not exist. It is a marketing term and any material that is not of animal origin can be labelled as ‘vegan’.

It is important to realise that the ‘vegan’ tag does not necessarily mean ‘natural’, ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’, nor does it necessarily provide the same wear and durability qualities as real leather.

How is leather made?

Leather making is generally referred to as tanning, but actually has five key operations:

• Cleaning

• Tanning

• Retanning

• Milling

• Finishing

Hides and skins that are a waste by-product from the food industry account for 99% of the worlds leather. In a circular economy, transforming this waste into a versatile everyday material is the most responsible thing to do.

What is vegetable tanned leather?

Vegetable tanning is the oldest tanning method, it uses extracts from wood, and nuts of trees and shrubs. Responsible suppliers will ensure these are from a sustainable source. It usually takes longer to tan leather using this method, but the result is a leather with distinctive aesthetic and handle that ages beautifully.

What is Chrome tanned leather?

About 75% of leather made today is chrome tanned. The process uses trivalent chromium (Cr III), which is a safe substance that also represents an essential part of our diet with many people taking daily supplements that contain it.

Best practices of chrome tanning use half the chemicals required by other methods and produces effluent content below legal requirements. Chrome tanning produces consistent leathers that can be used or worn year after year without any loss of properties.

Can leather be recycled?

Yes. Leather fibreboard is made by grinding up old leather and is used in shoes to create insoles and heel inserts and leather trimmings are used as stuffing for items such as punch bags. New composite materials are also being developed that incorporate ground up leather.

Increasingly companies developing ways of using the leather trimmings that result from production and businesses that repurpose leather products into something new, enabling them to be recycled and reused.

How long does leather last

Well-made and cared for leather products will last generations. This longevity together with repairability means that leather can make an important contribution to a society that is looking to consume less, and repair and reuse more.

You can access the original post HERE.