XX14 WORLD LEATHER DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

Technology

The word “sustainability” has beengaining popularity and importancein recent years, in both consumer

and industry language. However, theconcept of sustainability is complex interms of outlining a clear definition andimplication for the leather industry. Thetopic is discussed broadly in the media andalthough most people have a clear opinionon sustainability, the understanding andperception becomes diverse, especially ifwe look at it from a global point of view.Sustainability has both a short and longterm impact on societies, communitiesand industries. It can result in a morepositive or negative image, depending onhow it is defined(1). In general, the public does not always

link the leather product to sustainability ina positive way. Leather is used in manyluxury goods in our daily life, but when itcomes to sustainability, consumers tend tolink leather to industrial farming, theprocessing of animals in the food chain,and chemical waste. Animal skin, the initial raw material for

leather production, originates from animalfarming, but it is generated as a by-productin the animal-based food chain. It isessential that when we look at sustainability,we should extend the scope of the overallmeat production to include all productscoming from this industrial process. Animal husbandry is often seen as

simply being a means of producing meat,but animals are also raised for theproduction of milk, cheese, wool, eggs andmany other highly valuable products.Although the public sees a clear need ofthe above mentioned products, themanufacturing of leather is often not seenin the same context. In order to avoidmisperceptions, it is a responsibility of theleather industry to continuously convince

consumers that the major part of rawmaterial for the production of leather is anunavoidable by-product of animalhusbandry, this relationship beingexpressed in Panel 1.Having this in mind, we can then see

that leather and sustainability is not acontradiction at all.It is also important to recognise that a

relevant number of the world’s populationprefer to ban the production, processingand marketing of meat for religious,ethical, health or ecological reasons. Thesepreferences should also be taken intoaccount when we assess animal products ingeneral, including the leather product andthe processes linked to it.

Leather – From Waste to Wealth

Whenever there is industrialslaughtering, animal skins will be availableas a by-product. Less than 2% of animalsare farmed specifically for their skin toproduce luxury goods such as fur or reptileskin. For these 2%, it could be asked

whether the production is sustainable andconforms to modern standards. Regardless of the leathers used as by-

products from the production of meat,society has to evaluate if there is analternative use for animal skin generatedfrom this industrial production.Currently animal skin which does not

go into leather production ends up inincineration or landfill, which reducesthe added value of the overall process.Animal skin can be processed into gelatinor collagen products, but not all of thewaste that is generated by the livestockindustry can be processed into valuableproducts. Theoretically, it would also bepossible to produce biogas, butefficiencies are low and the neededinfrastructure is missing. As a result, thehighest added value is obtained bytanning the skin to produce leather, asillustrated in Panel 2.A topic often discussed in this context

is whether the trading of hides as a by-product from the production of meat

Leather and Sustainability:From Contradiction to Value Creation

Dr. Gerhard Wolf, BASF SECo-authors: Dr. Stefan Meier, BASF SE, Alfred Lin, BASF China

Panel 1: Inelastic relation between leather and meat industry: no driving power

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effectively subsidises the whole valuechain. Hides can and should be marketedin order to contribute to the overalladded value in production. If this werenot the case, meat producers would haveto pay for the disposal of the skin, andthis would increase the overall cost ofmeat production.If we look at the different constituents

of the skin and the end products that aremade from them, there should not be anyissues regarding sustainability, because allof the raw materials used are fromregenerative sources. Animal skin is an organic material and,

theoretically, 99% of it can be processedinto useful products, and this highutilisation of collagen is summarised inPanel 3.The products that can be made from

animal skin mainly include leather, dogchews, sausage skins and cosmeticproducts. The animal skin has to be seen asa sustainable material, and for this reasonthe leather made from it should be viewedas being just as sustainable.The focus then has to be on the process

of transforming the animal skin into theleather product and achieving this in asustainable way.

Tanning is an industrial processinvolving many chemical products.Accordingly, to produce leather in asustainable way, it has to be theresponsibility and constant challenge forthe industry. In other words, thesustainability of the leather productdepends heavily on the manufacturingprocess rather than on the raw hide fromwhich it is made.

Sustainability – Definition,Measurability and Control

Ever since sustainability was first definedby the UN Brundtland Commission(2),sustainability has been one of the keytopics in social and industrial developmentand it has become one of the key growthfactors for the world economy. Noindustry, including the leather industryand its value chain, can isolate itself fromconcepts of sustainability. In order to manage this in a fair and

comparable way, sustainable developmentneeds to be defined specifically for eachindustry. The criteria that are used mustbe measurable and be subject tomonitoring to have an impact onindustrial development. This provides afootprint as part of sustainability as setdown in Panel 4.Sustainable development should be

viewed from three different angles:

• Economic activity,• Ecological factors,• Social responsibility.The absence of sustainability in any one

of these areas questions the overall processesand products. This factor is often restrictedto the field of ecology, but development willnot be viable unless it is also based on soundeconomic and social principles.

15WORLD LEATHER DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

LEATHER AND SUSTAINABILITY: FROM CONTRADICTION TO VALUE CREATION

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Panel 2: Leather production guarantees the best value creatingpath

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1: dried hide w/o salt, JALCA, 105(8), 256

Panel 3: High utilisation of collagen possible, but need for cleanprocess technology

Panel 4: Footprint is an integral part of sustainability

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It is essential that leather productionstays profitable in a sustainable way.Nevertheless, it is just as important thatresponsible social standards that might bemissing – such as equitable payment and asafe working environment – is in strongcontradiction to the principles ofsustainable development.

The Sustainability Footprint – AnIntegral Approach

To achieve a sustainable footprint it isessential to take a close look at the role ofecology in the leather value chain.Ecological assessments can be made on thebasis of a wide variety of differentparameters.There are four key elements in the

production of leather that should begrouped together to provide a sustainablefootprint concept, and these are set downin Panel 5.

(1) THE CARBON FOOTPRINT

This is a topic that has gained significantpublic awareness in recent years. It is basedon the analysis of CO2 (Carbon Dioxide)that is emitted into the environment in aproduction process.In terms of leather, it is important to

avoid adding CO2 generated by cattlefarming to the balance generated by themanufacturing of the leather itself. Effortsare currently being made by the leatherindustry on an international scale (3,4), tosupply scientific data to correct thosemisconceptions.Nevertheless, the reduction in CO2

emission has to be a continuous target forthe industry, as it goes hand in hand withthe consumption of less energy andchemicals for the production of leather (5).Topics such as transportation and logisticsalso have to be addressed in the overallcarbon footprint.

(2) THE WATER FOOTPRINT

This will continue to grow inimportance in the coming years becausethe efficient use of water is one of the keychallenges of this century. The water that isused as a solvent in the production ofleather is a scarce resource, and it isbecoming increasingly more expensive interms of both consumption and effluenttreatment(6). The water footprint gains evenmore importance looking at the significantnumber of tanneries located in arid regionsof the world. The pressure is on innovationfor new technologies and chemicals inorder to provide more efficient processesfor the production of leather.

(3) THE RESOURCE FOOTPRINT

This covers many aspects as it toucheson different resources employed in leatherproduction. However, it needs to berecognised that the raw stock is the singlemost important and valuable resource inthe production of leather. Every attempt toincrease the added value by upgradinglow-quality leather, eliminating waste inthe cutting of patterns, reducing wasteproducts, or lowering the costs of tanneriesresults in an immediate benefit. The resource footprint also covers the

efficient use of chemicals based onregenerative raw materials and optimisedproduction processes in tanneries,including, for example, lower energyconsumption. This is another example ofthe cradle-to-cradle approach, becauseleather needs to be capable of beingrecycled or completely biodegraded inorder to ensure that it can be disposed ofin a sustainable way.

(4) THE TOXICOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

This is another aspect of leatherproduction that is frequently discussed.One example is the on-going discussionconcerning Cr(VI) or NMP (N-Methylpyrrolidone) in the value chain andfinal product. The toxicological footprintaddresses the use of harmful substances inthe production of leather, the restrictedsubstance list, the management andhandling of harmful substances, legalrequirements, the demands of specificindustries/brands, as well as product andprocess safety. The aim of the toxicological footprint

must be to minimise the levels of harmfulsubstances used in the production ofleather and ideally to eliminate them.Current discussions include the ZDHC(Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals)

campaign(7) initiated by major brands andthe new VOC (Volatile OrganicCompounds) regulations that apply toautomotive leather in China(8).

The four footprint concepts

BASF sees itself as a driver ofdevelopment in the leather value chain.Therefore we take responsibility for thesustainable development of leather. Thesustainability footprint concept nowprovides the tools with which allstakeholders involved in the value chaincan create added value sustainably. All processes and products developed by

BASF are regularly subjected to a detailedsustainability check, because we see this asthe only way to ensure sustainable successin this business. The four footprint concepts will be

examined in greater detail in forthcomingeditions of World Leather. We willdemonstrate and support this withreference to practical examples based onour industry expertise.

References(1) C. Money, World Leather, August/September,

2013, p.37-42(2) World Commission on Environment and

Development (1987). Our Common Future.(3) M. Redwood, SLTC Journal, Vol. 97, 2013,

p.47-55(4) E. Hurlow, JALCA, Vol. 108, 2013, p.319-335(5) G.Wolf et al., World Leather

February/March 2012, p. 43-47(6) www.chinawaterrisk/opinions/water-leather,

by Sarah Swenson, June, 2013(7) www.roadmaptozero.com(8) Chinese legislation, Testing standard GB/T

27630-2011

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Panel 5: Elements of Footprints are integral part of ‘sustainabilityfor leather’

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