BIO-LEATHER Sustainable Innovation in the Leather Industry
In this article you will learn about BIO-LEATHER. Sustainable innovation in the leather industry is the most effective way for companies to remain competitive in a market that is increasingly demanding on issues such as sustainability and socio-environmental compliance, both nationally and internationally.
To achieve this, it is essential to invest heavily in research to develop new products, improve tanning processes and acquire modern equipment. Constant investment in training operational teams is also essential.
Similarly, new tanning technologies involve reusing water, reducing water and energy consumption and properly treating effluents and waste.
Below, we'll show you how BIO-LEATHER, a sustainable innovation in the leather industry, is already a reality at Durli.
BIO-LEATHER Sustainable innovation in the leather industry and eco-friendly alternatives
Traditionally, the manufacture of leather already contains the aspect of sustainability, since it is a by-product of the meat and dairy industry.
However, there is a growing demand for the production of chrome-free leather, i.e. without the use of chrome in the tanning process.
From the end of the 1970s until 2021 it was possible to produce Wet White, a leather in the wet blue stage, but tanned with chrome-free chemicals. Chrome-free leather uses tannins based on aldehydes, phenolics and naphthalenes or vegetable bases.
Since 2021, there have been demands on the market for more natural and biodegradable articles. The aim today is to replace aldehydes, phenolics and naphthalenes in order to achieve a more natural, sustainable, biodegradable, eco-friendly leather. This is a strong demand from German car manufacturers and the children's footwear industry in search of a more sustainable product and considering its disposal.
The aim is for the leather elements used in cars and shoes to be absorbed by the environment as quickly and as little as possible when they are discarded.
Today, we need to go further, and this is how we arrived at the so-called bio-leather, which is produced on two lines at Durli Leathers:
- Hides tanned with special vegetable tanning agents based on gallic acid;
- Leathers tanned with silica and aluminum-based tanners, without environmentally harmful tanning metals.
BIO-LEATHER as a sustainable innovation in the leather industry is the objective set by Durli in order to meet the demand for chrome-free leather production, with the imperative of considering the sustainability of both the raw material and the tanning processes and their future disposal.
BIO-LEATHER Sustainable innovation in the leather industry: clarifications on the terminology used
Innovation in the leather industry means looking for alternative tanning processes, while retaining their intrinsic qualities.
The use of special vegetable tanning agents and silica and aluminum-based tanners are two such alternatives, which offer a more ecological approach to the tanning process. By implementing these practices, it is possible to help reduce the environmental impact of leather production and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Tanning agent: Tanning agents are chemical substances used in the tanning process. They react with the collagen in the animal's skin, transforming it into leather. Tanners can be of vegetable, mineral or synthetic origin. The most widely used in the world is basic chromium salt. And it is precisely for this product that sustainable alternatives are being sought.
Tanning agents: Tanning agents are a type of tanning agent. They can be mineral (such as chromium and aluminum) or vegetable (rich in tannins).
Tannins: Tannins are organic compounds found in various plant species. In the leather tanning process, the tannin binds to the proteins in the animal's skin, making it less soluble in water and more resistant to decomposition. This improves the durability of the material and gives the leather unique qualities, such as greater flexibility and improved texture.
This whole process of chemical treatment is called tanning, in which raw hides effectively become leather, a material that is resistant to decomposition, strong, flexible, durable and noble.
Leather production can only be considered sustainable if the products used are environmentally compliant, associated with water reuse systems, energy reduction and proper treatment of effluents and waste.
In fact, the whole discussion about the sustainability of tanning rests on these conditions.
Hides tanned with special vegetable tanning agents
Tanning agents are plant components extracted from the bark and other parts of some plants. The most commonly used are: quebracho (Schinopsis lorentzii), mimosa (Acacia meamsii), chestnut (Castanea sativa), mirabolano (Terminalia chebula), tara (Caesalpinia spinosa) and Turkish galnut (Quercus infectoria).
The use of vegetable tanning agents is undoubtedly the oldest form of tanning and they differ from aldehyde, phenolic and naphthalene-based tanning agents.
Leather tanned with vegetable tanning agents is therefore particularly suitable for furniture and automotive upholstery, footwear, horse saddles, accessories, handbags and fine shoes.
The vegetable tanning agent used by Durli to achieve BIO-LEATHER and sustainable innovation in the leather industry
To make Bio-Leather, Durli uses a vegetable tannin based on gallic acid. This is taken from the nut of a type of oak, the Turkish Galnut or Aleppo oak (Quercus infectoria), a tree from Portugal and Spain. This nut also known as walnut or gallium walnut.
This species is known for producing galls rich in tannin, which is used to soften leather. Its main characteristic is that it is the result of a particular type of herbivorous plant/insect interaction. The latter modifies the tissue of the host plant.
The advantages of vegetable tanning agents in leather tanning include:
- They have lighter molecules that easily bind to leather;
- Vegetable tanning produces colors in rich, warm tones with a completely natural appearance;
- Vegetable-based tanning products are biodegradable;
- They are unique, versatile and malleable;
- They are more valuable.
The great challenge for the leather industry, in order to remain in the global market, is to continue innovating, but without abandoning the methods and wisdom of centuries of tanning processes.
Silica and aluminum tanned leathers, without environmentally harmful tanning metals
These tanners are made up of aluminium salts that help stabilize the structure of the collagen fibres in animal skin.
They are also used in combination with other chemical products, offering a high level of uniformity to the parts.
Aluminum-based tanners are also more efficient in terms of water consumption during the tanning process.
However, special attention must be paid to the proper treatment of aluminum waste to avoid a negative impact on the environment.
Aluminum-based tanners prepare the ideal leathers for use in the automotive, furniture, footwear and accessories sectors.
BIO-LEATHER Sustainable innovation in the leather industry: rapid biodegradability
It is well known that leather goods, at the end of their useful life, can be sent for composting. This is a process of decomposing organic matter that can be reused as fertilizer.
In this way, leather is essentially sustainable and part of the circular economy.
However, there is another aspect of leather that deserves to be emphasized, especially in Bio-Leather - its biodegradability.
A product is biodegradable when it can be disintegrated by the action of fungi, bacteria and other micro-organisms, naturally incorporating itself into the soil.
The determining factor for this process is time, which in the case of Bio-Leather is much faster, as we can see from the following data:
- Chrome-tanned leather: decomposes on average between 10 and 15 years in landfills and 25 to 45 years in the environment;
- Chrome-free (Wet-White): decomposes between 5 and 10 years in landfills and 15 to 30 years in the environment;
- Bio Leather Durli: decomposes between 6 months and 1 year in landfills and 1 to 2 years in the environment.
The LCA Test
To reinforce the importance of biodegradability for nature, there is a specific international test - Life Cycle Assessment - which evaluates the environmental performance of a product throughout its life cycle, as part of a United Nations program.
This is a time-tested evaluation technique that aims to assess environmental performance throughout the life cycle of a product or service, which is evaluated at all stages.
Their potential contribution to environmental impact categories is then assessed. These categories include climate change, human and ecological toxicity, ionizing radiation and deterioration of the resource base (e.g. water, non-renewable primary energy resources, land etc.).
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data allows policymakers to develop sound sustainable consumption and production policies, and they can base their innovation and strategic sustainability decisions on more robust information.
Bio-Leather Durli's biodegradability is attested to in thiscertified international test: Life Cycle Accessment LCA.
Durli Leathers already serves a developing market in Europe and Asia, with a growing demand for Bio-leather samples and tests.
Contact us and find out more about bio leather and all Durli's eco-friendly solutions for your company.
Sources and references used:
1 - https://isitleather.com/blog/sustainability-leather-tanning-industry-progress-potential/
2 - https://durlicouros.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Couro_bioleather-SENAI.pdf
3 - https://pegadaverde.pt/pt_pt/blog/post/compostavel-ou-biodegradavel
5 - https://durlicouros.com.br/o-couro-e-essencial-para-a-economia-circular/
6 - https://durlicouros.com.br/como-o-uso-de-couro-automotivo-beneficia-o-planeta/