Freiberg Leather Days is scheduled for May 21 and 22, 2025. The Congress organized by the Association of German Leather Chemists (VGCT) together with the FILK Research Institute will take place at the Tivoli in Freiberg.

On the program are 24 technical lectures with speakers from 9 countries. The keynote conference is entitled: “Livestock as a value-adding component in regional material flow management“ from Prof Peter Heck, Trier University of Applied Sciences (DE).

The program of the Congress can be downloaded  HERE

The Annual General Meeting of the International Council of Hides, Skins and Leather Traders’ Associations (ICHSLTA) was held in Hong Kong on March 11, renewing its leadership. Micaela Topper, Executive Director of the Australian company AI Topper, trader of Australian raw hides and skins and wet-blue bovine hides, was elected to the presidency for a two-year term. Chen Zhanguang of the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) and Nick Winters of the French Leather Federation were elected vice presidents of the ICHSLTA, while Lénaïg Manéat of the French Leather Federation (Fédération Française des Cuirs et Peaux) will continue to manage the organization.

Micaela Topper has worked for more than 20 years at AI Topper, a third-generation family business that is among Australia’s leading processors and exporters of hides, skins and finished leather. Micaela has been involved in sustainability on behalf of the Australian Hides, Skins and Leather Association (AHSLEA), with a focus on developing an industry framework and roadmap, with national and international engagement with key stakeholders, as well as education and communication strategies to promote change.

In Hong Kong, Micaela Topper said, “My goal as president of ICHSLTA will be to work closely with all industry stakeholders to address key challenges such as sustainability, traceability and transparency. By fostering collaboration and open dialogue, we can promote positive changes throughout the global supply chain and ensure a strong future for our industry.”

The latest scientific newsletter released by IULTCS turns the spotlight on the LCA study conducted by Italian specialist company SPIN360, co-authored by Luis Zugno and Kim Sena, Secretary and Sustainability Committee Chair of IULTCS, respectively.

“The leather industry has long needed comprehensive and up-to-date studies on the environmental impact of leather production. Different studies have been published in the past, but mainly due to the lack of comprehensiveness failed to represent the entire leather segment” the authors explain. The new paper addresses these gaps by conducting an extensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using modern methodologies and data from 56 studies across 16 facilities in 11 countries.

The study covers various types of leather, such as automotive, shoe, upholstery, and goods, providing a global perspective. Key findings highlight that the farming stage significantly impacts most environmental categories, and there’s a need for better data on raw materials and processing. On the other hand, some environmental impacts were lower than previously thought, providing some important insights.  “This research is crucial for leather manufacturers, as it identifies areas for improvement and highlights data gaps that, if addressed, could lead to more reliable and useful LCA results. The insights gained can guide the industry towards more environmentally friendly production methods, continuously positioning leather as a responsible material alternative for the future” Kim Sena concludes.

The paper can be downloaded HERE

 We all know the importance of working in a safe and healthy space. Hazardous substances, such as heavy metals, dusts, gases, fumes, certain chemical agents, are among the main threats to the health of the worker and the surrounding environment. Prolonged or acute exposures to these substances can cause damage to the human body, particularly to the respiratory, nervous and cardiovascular systems. The most common occupational diseases related to these exposures include asthma, chronic lung disease, intoxication and, in extreme cases, cancer. Avoiding the presence of such substances is essential to ensure the safety of employees and the quality of the work environment.

Hazardous Substances in Tannery Finishing Departments

Turning our attention to the environment of the tannery, and in particular to the finishing department, the hazardous substances that can be encountered there are basically solvents, contained in various products, for which alternatives to water have been sought for years, and crosslinking agents, such as mainly polyazyridine and polyisocyanate. What can we do to make the working environment in finishing departments healthier and help preserve the environment around us?

Corichem answers this question with a very concrete solution: SPECTRA

What is SPECTRA?

SPECTRA is a technology that uses ultraviolet light to activate the crosslinking process without the use of catalysts or chemical crosslinking agents.

When special polyurethane polymers developed by Corichem are exposed to certain UV radiation, it induces a reaction that leads to the branching of polymer chains.

This process, which occurs almost instantaneously, even at room temperature, without the need for high heat or the use of solvents, also makes the finishing operation more environmentally friendly and sustainable than traditional methods.

SPECTRA in everyday practice

In everyday practice, SPECTRA translates into a brand new range of waterborne products, the result of in-house research that began more than two years ago.

The products in the SPECTRA range, which are currently under patenting, do not require the use of crosslinking agents, such as polyaziridine and polyisocyanate, and make it possible to obtain leathers with high performance in terms of mechanical strength while preserving their natural appearance and softness.

Benefits of SPECTRA

There are many advantages to be gained by adopting this technology:

– Increased Safety: the absence of hazardous crosslinking chemicals eliminates the risks associated with the handling, manipulation and use of toxic substances.

– Reduced Waste: the SPECTRA crosslinking process generates no product waste for disposal, helping to reduce environmental impact and production costs. Unused product, including that discharged from the application plant at the end of the working cycle, since it does not contain crosslinkers can safely be stored for a long time, waiting to be used at the next processing. Significant is the economic savings, particularly when handling highly fragmented productions.

– Speed and Efficiency: The SPECTRA curing process is extremely rapid, with curing times on the order of a few seconds. This speed allows the desired performance, in terms of physical strength, to be obtained immediately.

– Versatility: the SPECTRA process can be applied to a wide range of polyurethane formulations thus allowing all types of items to be produced.

– Plant Simplicity: introducing SPECTRA in the production process of a tannery is very simple and the usual plants already in use can be used after simple adaptations.

Conclusions

Avoiding the use of hazardous substances in the work environment is not only a matter of immediate safety, but a responsibility to workers’ health and environmental protection.

Investing in this not only reduces risks, but also helps build a stronger corporate culture geared toward collective well-being.

Ultimately, ensuring a safe working environment benefits everyone: employees, the company itself, and the environment in general.

 edited by Giuliano Spanevello, CORICHEM finishing department manager

The news is a few months old but worth remembering. In its latest update, the Higg MSI index, which measures the sustainability of materials, has adopted a new dataset for cowhide that virtually sees its environmental impact halved. This is thanks to an extensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study conducted by Italian specialist company SPIN360 in collaboration with Leather Working Group (LWG) and Leather Naturally. Thanks to this work, carried out on primary data derived from a large number of tanning productions surveyed, the impact of the Higg MSI cowhide has now been more than halved, guaranteeing the leather a much more favorable sustainability score. This is an achievement to be proud of and confirms the importance of continuing to produce scientific data to make the case for leather.
Specifically, the new leather scores reported by the HIgg MSI index, which, although contested by various organizations, is unique and is consulted by fashion designers worldwide, see the impact of cowhide as a whole reduced by 55/67 percent. Specifically, its Global Warming Potential (GWP) drops from 36.8 points to 14.6.
How was this result arrived at? Spin 360, responding to requests from Leather Working Group and Leather Naturally, collected data from 45 factories from 18 countries and analyzed 92 cowhide products (of all types: accessories, furniture and car interiors). It was on the basis of this wealth of information that the Milan-based agency produced the largest aggregate LCA (life cycle analysis) calculation of the material, which was then submitted for third-party verification. Submitted for Higg MSI’s attention, this work forced the index to revise its leather ratings in its latest update.