Leather manufacture and the environment

摘要

Environmental matters cannot be taken in isolation from leather making, as every facet of pollution or residual material is a direct function of manufacture. The waste produced from the conversion of raw hides and skins into finished leather - and the impact of that leather at the end of the product life - is a direct result of the raw materials and chemicals used and the technology applied. From the environmental viewpoint, waste management and responsibilities are as tightly interwoven with manufacture as, say, retanning and fatliquoring are within leather manufacture. This is, however, not always taken into account. When setting up new tanneries, how often are the borrowings and capital expenditure for plant and machinery increased by perhaps 30% or more to ensure that the waste is treated responsibly?