Eco-tannery ISA Tan Tec: LWG ‘Gold’ status for plant in Saigon

3 January 2012



The German-Chinese eco-tannery ISA Tan Tec have received ‘Gold’ status from the Leather Working Group (LWG) for their plant in Saigon, Vietnam. This is the highest category awarded by the Group. The award is based on an independent audit of resource consumption and environmental management. ‘We are delighted that the LWG has honoured our commitment to the highest ecological standards by granting us ‘Gold’ status’, says Tom Schneider, Founder and CEO of ISA Tan Tec.


ISA Tan Tec pays particular attention to resource management in their tannery. The company thus considerably exceeds LWG standards for ‘Gold’ status in the categories of energy and water consumption, wastewater treatment and air emissions. Thanks to innovative technologies, the company have succeeded in reducing the energy required for the production of wet-blue to finished leather to 21.5 megajoules per square metre. The industry average is 61 megajoules. For example, ISA Tan Tec purifies its wastewater using a computer-controlled plant-based water purification system. ‘These kind of wetlands with a special treatment plant are unique for tanneries’, states the audit report. ISA Tan Tec saves 150,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year as a result of the plant-based water purification plant alone.

Some 250 employees currently produce two million square metres annually of quality leather for shoe manufacturers such as Timberland, Converse, Puma and other brands at ISA Tan Tec's Vietnamese tannery.



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