Editorial

Editorial nº 84

Editorial

During the last meeting of the GLCC (Global Leather Coordinating Committeee), held in Hong Kong
last March on the occasion of APLF, the three constituent organizations: ICT (International Council of
Tanners), IULTCS (International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists) and the International
Council of hides, Skins and Leather Traders Association, continued with the discussion of projects
faced in collaboration.

The attendants to the meeting discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the Leather Industry.

The key leather characteristic (and main strength) is it is natural, renewable and beautiful.

However, we see there is a lack of information or incorrect information provided to the consumers
about the leather industry and the leather itself, leading to his replacement by other synthetic or artificial materials, making it appear they are "environment friendly products."

One of the arguments used is "Carbon Footprint of Leather" and more recently still, "Water Footprint
of leather". The Carbon Footprint is based on the calculation of the total sets of greenhouse gas emissions, calculated as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2) expressed in tonnes, that are directly or indirectly emitted into the atmosphere each time a certain action is performed.

This analysis covers all life cycle activities of a product (from procurement of raw materials to disposal as waste), measuring the contribution of each of these activities to global warming, allowing consumers decide what to buy based on the pollution generated as a result of the processes carried out.

The methodology applied until recently to calculate the Carbon Footprint of leather, included cattle
breeding, which negatively impacted the Carbon Footprint of leather since it is known that cattle throughoutthroughout his life, produces carbon dioxide and methane.

However, as the main objective of raising cattle is not getting leather, but the production of meat, animal skin, which then will be leather, turns from being waste to be a byproduct of other industry input. Therefore, the current position to calculate the Carbon Footprint, held by Federico Brugnoli, international expert in the field, responsible for writing UNIDO technical report on leather and carbon emissions is, the Leather life cycle starts where the animal is slaughtered, not including the breeding of cattle.

Thus, the leather, Carbon Footprint is substantially smaller revealing the positive impact that the use of
the skin of cattle have on the environment, because if not processed, the disposition of the same as waste involve a high environmental negative impact.

Cotance is promoting a pilot study to calculate the Carbon Footprint in different countries, which is supported by major organizations related to the leather industry worldwide.

Lic. Patricia Casey - Presidente

Letter from the editor

In IULTCS International Congress, which took place last May in Istanbul, Turkey, 66 technical and
scientific papers and 97 conference as posters were presented.

As in previous Congresses, it is clear the interest and concern of the Institutes, Universities and research centers for further study of clean technologies and production processes environmentally friendly.

On the other hand, there is concern about there is no official list of Restricted and Prohibited Substances for leather, associated with test methods suitable for proper detection.
Leather Exporters frequently receive from their customers the requirement to issue statements concerning restricted and / or prohibited substances, accompanied by certificates of analysis showing compliance with established tolerances.

Unfortunately, on many occasions, the long lists of restricted and / or prohibited substances include several ones that are not present in any type of leather because chemical inputs used in the production process does not contain and because they cannot be the result of a chemical reaction happens during the process.

Nevertheless, it must justify his absence by analysis.

Add to this the fact that some big brands, ask the suppliers to make the determinations of some substances, applying chemical analysis methods developed for other materials such as plastic or fabrics which lead to erroneous results and, in some cases, they make a business failed.

The tanning industry should get as much information as possible from their suppliers of chemical inputs, in order to be sure what they are using in their process and thus avoid the use of chemical substances that can cause health problems for users or for the environment, as well as, controlling the production process to minimize the risk of any unwanted chemical reaction from occurring.

But on the other hand, it is imperative to narrow the list of restricted and / or prohibited substances in
leather, and that’s the reason why IUC Commission (IULTCS chemical analysis) is working hard and has already issued a draft that will be submitted soon to the ISO Committee.

It will include recognized testing methods for leather, thus avoiding false positives that may impair
the image of the leather and the industry that produces it.

Lic. Patricia Casey - Presidente