From hide to leather: the importance of processing
Leather is a natural, durable and flexible material made out of an animal hide. This hide is a by-product from the food industry and without further processing, it would never become leather! Why? Because it needs tanning to makes sure that the animal hide is preserved, so it can be transformed to the leather used in your car or other product. This means that processing is of utmost importance!
To give you an indication of how many hides would go to waste if we wouldn’t put them to further use, a quick fact: Every year we produce around 2,200 square km of leather from over one billion (leftover) hides. That’s the equivalent of 330,000 soccer fields or an area slightly smaller than Luxembourg (Europe) or Rhode Island (US).
These numbers are enormous. This means that using the hides, which would otherwise become a waste product, is still as smart and responsible as it was back in ancient times. And by using environmentally friendly chemicals, we are able to improve the leather’s lifecycle and environmental footprint. This way leather continues to be modern product. Today and tomorrow!
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