Driven by the 'Altautoverordnung' that regulates the recycling of old cars in Germany, the automotive industry increasingly requests their leather interiors be made from chrome-free tanned leathers. But today's most common replacements, aluminum salts and glutardialdehyde, have their own ecotoxicological problems. By Dr Martin Kleban, Bayer AG.

Tanning bullfrog skins could prove to be an alternative source of raw materials for making leathergoods and footwear products in the Phillipines. Leather experts in the country have succeeded in enhancing technology which they intend sharing with those interested in making it a business.

Felts are used in a range tannery machines in both the wet-end and finishing. Huyck have been involved in the business for the past 30 years but have recently decided to increase their presence in the tanning sector. They have teamed-up with bService, an Italian company that have a long association of providing components such as felts to the international leather industry. The new co-operation will see bService cover a number of European, South East Asian and Latin American markets on behalf of Huyck.

A joint initiative between European standards organisation CEN and International Standards Organisation ISO, new standards for safety footwear for sale throughout the EU have been confirmed. They incorporate changes to Europe's original footwear standards, now twelve years old, to better reflect new manufacturing methods and testing procedures.

Abstract

BLC have just completed a landmark project to design and commission the world's first Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) treatment plant, which can process tannery effluent to desalination levels.