What is the place of leather in our daily life?

Leather, with its oldest known history, dates back to BC. It is one of the raw materials with the oldest usage area dating back to 3500s. Since then, with the development of production methods, the efficiency of leather products has increased and the variety of products has increased gradually. A leather of good quality; It is of great importance for shoes, household goods, clothing, accessories and automotive industry. These products, which occupy a large place in our daily life, should be removed as the end product, which is environmentally friendly and without threatening our health.

Are animals harmed while obtaining leather?

Leather products are one of the most criticized industries today. The main reason for this is the thought that animals are harmed. However, all skins used in the leather industry are obtained from animals slaughtered in slaughterhouses for meat consumption in order to maintain our vital activities. Well; Animals are not harmed for any leather used in the leather industry!

What is sustainability in leather?

Today's consumers are more conscious than ever, and these consumers have some expectations from brands. In addition to the fact that the resulting product has a certain quality standard, consumers now expect the product they buy to be at the highest level of environmental awareness and social responsibility during and after the production process. In the leather industry, this situation; It shows that it needs to supply and produce its raw materials in an integrated manner to nature and the supply chain of the modern era. All demands are expressed as sustainability.

Sustainability; Considering that future generations will also live on this earth, the production process is completed by using the raw materials and materials and natural resources effectively, and the final product is long-lasting and recyclable.

What criteria are there for a leather to be sustainable?

There are some criteria determined by international organizations. According to the Sustainable Leather Production Report by UNIDO in 2019, these criteria are; attention in the use of resources (skin/leather, chemical and energy), the control of solid, liquid and gaseous wastes in the production process, the quality and suitability of the final product, and the recycling of the product at the end of its useful life. For a leather to be sustainable There are some criteria for a leather to be sustainable.

What is the role of tanneries in sustainability?

Manufacturers have some responsibilities in terms of sustainability. In global industries, leather manufacturers must consider the effects of leather on the ecological environment during the production process. Being aware of its responsibility to the environment and future generations, it should reduce the use of energy, water and chemicals in the use of natural resources and minimize solid, liquid and gas wastes. The responsibilities of leather manufacturers can be briefly expressed as the use of appropriate and renewable energy, the development of a sense of social responsibility, the evaluation of the resulting waste, and the use of safer chemicals.

How do I know that a leather is produced in an environmentally friendly way?

In the leather industry, there are organizations that oversee tanneries. One of these organizations is LWG (Leather Working Group). This organization inspects the materials used in the production phase, the wastes and social issues and the quality of the final product. Leather products from tanneries with LWG certification are of higher quality and safer than products from other tanneries. At the same time, these tanneries are more sensitive to sustainability and the environment. You can rely on leather sourced from LWG certified tanneries.