Chrome-free waterproof leathergoods

In the near future it will be possible to produce bags with waterproof leather, the bags will not let moisture pass through the leather substrate even on chrome-free leathers. This is the major conclusion of a two-year research project funded by the European Commission in which Conciaricerca Italia (a research and consulting company for the tanning sector) and the Greek company Elkede, in collaboration with two Italian and one Greek tannery, have been involved. The project has obtained good results for producing water resistant organic leather for the tanning for leathergoods sectors. The leathers have shown good organoleptic, technical and physical properties. Waterproofing, which is currently largely restricted to the production of chrome tanned leathers for the footwear industry, can now be used for leathers tanned using organic compounds, vegetable tannins and for the leathergoods sector. The end users will, therefore, benefit from a high quality and eco-friendly product.