A few years ago the outlook for Pittards was uncertain as a black hole in the company pension fund and difficult trading conditions threatened to drag the business under. Step by step they have restructured the business, made two acquisitions and have recently received a royal visit. Martin Ricker visited their UK headquarters to see the turn around at first hand

Dr Lakshmi Muthusubramanian1* CLRI, Chennai, and Rajat B Mitra2, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, discuss an eco-friendly approach to the synthesis of methylene
bisthiocyanate as a fungicide in leather processing

BLC Leather Technology Centre provide an overview of the current legislation and requirements for testing the presence of mercury in leather. This article looks at mercury which is now controlled in finished leather by many major footwear brands

In times where the global economic crisis has seen increasingly fierce competition between companies in the leather industry, the search for excellence in all business segments is essential for survival. Knowing the real cost of each article produced can represent a decisive factor in the negotiation of price during the battle for orders with the competition. Thus, the calculation of real profit of each production order is essential when evaluating process performance. Reliable delivery dates can also be a powerful competitive differential, as the SystemHaus Team, discuss.

Dr Damjan Nemec, Hidroinzeniring d.o.o. Ljubljana, Slovenia, discusses current choices for the disposal of biodegradable tannery waste

The Leather Working Group (LWG) is now in its fourth year and the environmental stewardship programme has really gathered momentum. In September 2009, the US HQ of sportswear brand, New Balance hosted a two-day biannual meeting. In attendance were more than 50 delegates made up of international brands, tanners and chemical companies

By Jan-Tiest Pelckmans and Dr Campbell Page, TFL Leather Technology Ltd, Basel, Switzerland

Sustainability’ has been the buzzword in the manufacturing and retail industries for many years now but what exactly are tanners doing about it?
According to Dr Warren Bowden, environmental director of SLG Technology Limited, part of the Scottish Leather Group, many of them are ‘talking the talk’ but are they putting their money where their mouths are?

All around the world we are being encouraged to minimise waste; you may be familiar with the 3Rs – Reduce, Recycle and Reuse. And if we are to be a responsible industry we must do this; this planet of ours only has limited resources and we should be mindful of that for future generations. But what exactly is waste? In the leather industry, most of us would think of things like effluent such as spent chrome liquor. Whilst effluent is a waste of high importance to our industry and in recent years technology has made huge inroads into reducing it, waste comes in many other guises, some being more obvious than others. In this article we will briefly explore some potential forms of waste in leather manufacture and how it can be reduced.

A critical assessment in respect to the status quo and conclusions for a long-term sustainability. By Dr Dietrich Tegtmeyer, vice president for product development and application, Leather business unit, LANXESS Deutschland GmbH

Formaldehyde related requirements are becoming greater challenges for the leather industry all the time. Pim Wilgenburg, product manager of wet-end chemical maker Smit & Zoon, explains the basics of the chemical and the influences on the tanning industry.

Hartmut Huber, technical manager finishing, Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH concludes his discussions on the finishing of shoe upper leathers by looking in greater detail at pre-base coats, base coats and finishing effects

Quite a lot of information has been shared concerning the upgrading of leather. The focus of this article is on shoe upper and fine leathers, but is there a difference between upgrading these leathers and upgrading in general? Yes and no! Some points and mechanisms are similar, some are special as Hartmut Huber, technical manager finishing, Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH reviews the various upgrading techniques

Now here’s a hiding to nothing. Email from my editor: ‘Name the top 10 leather scientists of all time, and write an article about them.’ Sounds easy and, on the surface, it is. Graham Lampard has a go, and is ready for the letters of incredulity!

BLC Leather Technology Centre present an overview of patent and metallic fashion finishing effects that can be seen on more and more leathers these days. Every few years patent and other highly fashionable finishes applied by foils such as metallic become heavily demanded but often present a range of technical difficulties to the tanner or finisher

Many industries in Bangladesh discharge their effluents directly and/or indirectly onto land or into small channels leading to the nearby rivers. A study of four tanneries has found that almost all are violating the set effluent standards, and polluting near by rivers, agricultural land and soil. Ashraful Alam, from the Bangladesh College of Leather Technology, suggests this is due to a lack of proper resources and commitment of the Government. He reviews the steps that have to be taken to achieve a move towards compliance of the environmental quality standards for the betterment of the environment and to reduce the impact on health

Dr Victoria Addy, technical director, BLC Leather Technology Centre, reviews the latest developments in enzyme technology for the leather industry

Common problems in beamhouse processing are discussed by Amanda Michel of Leather Wise

Following on from the article, ‘Soil resistant leather comes of age’ by Dietrich Tegtmeyer, Tillmann Hassel, Juergen Reiners, Stefan Wildbrett and Michael Franken of LANXESS, published in Leather International, April 09, page 22, the authors provide an update on the advantages of anti-soiling products for the tanner and consumer

Dutch leather chemical makers, Smit & Zoon compare traditional fatliquor compositions with a new range of polymer softeners. High bath exhaustion, reduced looseness and softer leathers result

Work carried out and authored by Wolfram Scholz,1 Manuel Mena,2 Aquiles Bermudez,2 Juan Lopera2 and Ricardo Robinson2

The drive towards eco products is as topical as ever, with many suppliers of leather, retailers and brands keen to provide an eco-offering either directly or at least with some assurance of the green credentials of the product life cycle. This article, supplied by BLC – Leather Technology Centre looks at the use of chromium in tanning as part of the product life cycle

Presenting to members of the International Council of Tanners prior to the APLF in Hong Kong, Mark Chatwood, automotive manager, leather finish of Stahl Asia Pacific region based in Singapore, gave clear indications on current global trends, particularly in the automotive upholstery sector. It makes very interesting, if not always happy reading

Dutch tanners, Wendel Leather Group (Gebr. Wendel Leder-fabriek en Handelmij) have recently installed the final phase of their automated dye drum unloading system at their plant in Tilburg.
The project, which was managed and installed by Intermedia Holland from Dongen, was installed to improve worker health and safety as well as increase productivity at the tannery. The Wendel Leather Group have three tanneries located throughout Holland in Waalwijk, Rijen and Tilburg with the Waalwijk plant being the company headquarters.

Within Clariant`s globally launched shoe concept, the Leather Business have launched their new shades and trends for the autumn/winter 2010/11 fashion season. The latest Global Colour Card illustrates the four stylish themes: Go West, Lakeland, Locomotive and Modern Sculpture.
They have also developed innovative colour recipes and processes to satisfy specific demands of their clients by using Clariant’s dye and pigment ranges. With this service the leather specialists from Clariant provide their customers with exclusive fashion trend information well in advance of the season.
Based on the input of internationally known trend institutes and fashion specialists, Clariant unveil four fashion themes for the autumn/winter 2010/11 season:

Even with the current slump in hide and skin prices, the cost of raw materials for leather production is significant. So, the preservation of stock is still fundamental to good quality control and making a living for tanners. Yet biocides by their very nature are environmentally unfriendly. However, help may be at hand, with research into new ecofriendly brands of bacterial control.
Dr Graham Lampard reports

By BLC - Leather Technology Centre

Operation of a direct recycling plant for final liquors in chrome tanning by Juan Manuel Salazar, Americana de Curtidos Ltda. Y CIA SCA, Colombia. This paper was presented at the 2008 FLAQTIC Congress in Rio de Janeiro.

Introduction

Azo dyes used to be among the leading colouring agents in the textile industry, especially in developing countries. Since the 1990s, when legislation was introduced restricting certain azo dyes, there has been much confusion and misunderstandings concerning azo dyes. This article aims to clear these up.

Introduction

Formaldehyde is a chemical compound (also known as methanal) that is widely used in many industries. It is the simplest aldehyde chemically with the formula H2CO. Formaldehyde is a gas at room temperature but it is also readily soluble in water (and is often sold as an aqueous solution).

The appearance of a product has a great deal of influence on the consumer's decision to purchase. A consumer or professional buyer will expect the article and its different components to be homogeneous in their overall appearance. Colour management is a delicate process and requires reliable tools and constants in order to meet the quality levels demanded. In a strong position due to their expertise in vision technology, CTC studied the best performing colorimetric measurement systems for leather and have developed a mechanism/device to automate the batching of pieces of leather for leathergoods.

These are the references to the article published in the November/ December 2008 edition of Leather International on 'Recycling chrome liquors by Juan Manuel Salazar of Americana de Curtidos.

Introduction

Recently, the climate surrounding restricted substances has grown quite confusing for many suppliers and manufacturers of leathergoods. What is the difference between statutory and non-statutory requirements? Which substances are harmful and which are not?

It is accepted in the leather industry that there are three basic types of leather finishes: aniline, semi-aniline and pigmented finished. But what is the difference between these leather types? If you ask the manufacturers or the users of leather, invariably you will get the same answer for aniline and pigmented finishes from all of them, but almost certainly there will be some confusion over what semi-aniline really is.

In response to the need for further improvements in the performance, safety and environmental impact of fungicidal agents, Zenith have developed a new fungicide specifically for application in the leather industry.

Fungicides are an essential component of leather manufacture to prevent the occurrence of mould on part processed and finished leather. If used correctly and sourced from a reputable supplier, fungicides used within the leather making process present no risk to the consumer. This article by BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd discusses the typical fungicides used in leather processing.

Antimony is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Sb (Latin: stibium, meaning ‘mark') and atomic number 51. Metalloid antimony has four allotropic forms. The stable form of antimony is a white metalloid. Yellow and black antimony are unstable non-metals. Antimony is used in flame proofing, paints, ceramics, enamels, and a wide variety of alloys, electronics and rubber.

In the third part of their review of the effects of syntans on the properties of leather, Dr Ramón Palop, Joan Parareda and Olga Ballús, from the tanning laboratory at Cromogenia-Units SA, highlight the physical and organoleptic properties imparted by synthetic tannins.

Introduction

The European Commission has recently imposed a restriction in Directive 2006/112, a follow up from Directive 76/769/EEC, which relate to the marketing and use of dangerous substances and preparations. The aim of this legislation is to restrict the use of perfluoroctane sulphonates in order to limit health and environmental risks.

Also under investigation is the use of perfluoroctanoic acid, as the USA's EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is looking to phase out emissions of this chemical over the next few years.

In our November/December edition we published details of an IULTCS presentation: Alternatives to sulfide dehairing: use of oxidative agents by William N Marmer and Robert L Dudley, Eastern Regional Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service. They also provided a related visual display: Oxidative dehairing: to relime or not to relime.

Part 2 of an experimental study - colorimetric testing - by Dr Ramón Palop, Joan Parareda and Olga Ballús of the tanning laboratory of Cromogenia-Units SA, Barcelona, Spain.

The Problem

Many mysterious problems in leather that manifest themselves at any stage of processing can originate from putrefaction of the raw material; grain damage, looseness, weakness, chrome soaps to name but a few. Needless to say, all result in downgrading or even rejection of leather. Bacteria are bad news!

Henry Ford did not want his staff to ask their customers what they wanted as the answer he suspected would have been a smoother ride in a horse and cart rather than his new automobile.

The Problem
Fine breaks in the grain surface of leather, especially in the belly area, arising from the take off of the skin at the abattoir is commonly known at Butcher’s Strain, Strained Grain or Belly Strain. Providing the damage is slight and remains close to the belly edge of the skin, its impact is slight. However, if it is sufficiently severe, the resulting loss in useable leather can be significant. In severe cases the damage can extend right across the skin in an arc over the shoulder area.

Introduction

Defects are one of the biggest sources of non-conformity in leather production. Some of the defects are inherent in the live animal and the tanner is not able to measure the quality of their incoming raw material.

In Europe in the early nineties, the implementing of ISO 9000 quality management systems in a business was considered to be a major part of the quality guarantee to customers. It took a decade before this became fully integrated into the business culture in developed economies and a similar time frame may be required in Asia.

In the Cold selection the colours were thin and muted; shades of white through to pale green and grey then onto black. This range is intended to draw attention to shape and form and create a sense of calm relaxation. The cool colours certainly are restful on the eye.

Instead of publishing fashion trends and fashion colours separately twice a year, the leather department at BASF is now presenting its trendsetting leather and fashion colours in a single brochure entitled: 'Inspirations for Leather' which is produced for the special requirements of the European market. Under the motto: 'Edition Toscana' the brochure features an assortment of modern textures, exquisite colours and excellent design.

Stahl's high level of expertise in all aspects of leather fashion has recently been enhanced by opening a Design Studio in Milan, Italy. Here a fashion team not only dreams but also transforms these conceptual ideas into both commercial and avant-garde products that are used in high quality leather articles.

The Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium was founded on October 17, 1994, by eleven companies from the tanning region which nestles between Pisa and Florence. Brought together by their dedication to the production of high quality, natural and long lasting leather, the consortium aims to raise consumer awareness of the veg tanning process which they describe as 'a perfect marriage of natural quality, tradition and advanced technology.'

The latest Fashion Up! comes with four fresh seasonal statements from Clariant's Leather Business. The latest forecast for spring-summer 2008 allows tanners to be one step ahead when it comes to leather fashion. The Group's innovative fashion package includes four trendsetting routes to follow: 'Pure and Simple', 'Fashion Rebellion', 'Clean Lines' and 'Cool Luxe'.

When traditional English shoemakers Loake were granted a prestigious Royal Warrant of Appointment to the Queen earlier this year, some were a little surprised. No one questioned that the fifth-generation family firm merited the award, they had just assumed they would already have royal approval.

Discreet & Bucolic

Discreet exalts traditional craftsmanship to give new value to modernity and adopts a new relaxed attitude which combines charm and modesty with creativity. Bucolic sees a return to high quality basics, timeless classics and reinvents fashion that is easy to wear but sophisticated. In town or country, they lunch around a futuristic kitchen table made from eternal materials and add a dash of hot ketchup to their steamed organic vegetables.

Suite

This trend is all about luxury

The world of personal luxury is warm and harmonious with intimate attention to objects that reveal their quality in terms of time. The luxury of the time taken to create them and the satisfaction of the experience of their ripening through use. The luxury of the cult of care, a kind of generous attention to those investment pieces that reflect discernment, accomplishment and status. Excellent materials and impeccable craftsmanship produce the icons of timeless class. Timeless beauty in a composition that is rich and modern. The importance of volumes and new forms in soft and lightweight materials, the same tones in different rhythms. A suite of proposals, a dance both classic and contemporary. Classic treatments are presented in new lightweights, with soft draping handle

The atmosphere is bright and clear when spread over the latter part of the year [2006] in the environment of Italian tanning. The great fashion houses and the celebrated brand names are seemingly lengthening their forecasts for orders, granting themselves more consistent organisation and foreseeing an extended period of work.

In association with Italian designers Carmen Rimoldi and Sergio Belloni, TFL have released their new Colour Trends & Fashion Inspirations catalogue for leather for the autumn/winter season 2008-09, 21 months in advance of the retail season.

The next meeting of the International Council of Tanners (ICT) will be held, as in recent years, the day before the APLF opens in Hong Kong. The meeting takes place in the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre in the morning of Tuesday, March 27, 2007.

Introduction

On the strength of an initial feasibility study, BLC was selected to be the main process consultant. Using the in-house industrial experience at BLC, the critical aspects of the feasibility study were combined with the needs of the client to make the first or 'conceptual' design.

Total exports of leather manufactured goods, including leather garments, leather gloves, and other items made from leather, stood at $261.7 million during the first six months of the current fiscal year (July 2006 - June 2007) as compared to $378.7 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The delay in implementing the Dhaka Tannery Estate Project (DTEP) poses a threat to the Buriganga River and millions of residents in the western part of the capital. With a total of 195 acres of land, the Hazaribagh Tannery Relocation Project (HTRP) will eventually have an annual production capacity of 74,000 tonnes of leathergoods.

Presenting SAMA's 42nd annual state of the economy report for 2005 to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah in Riyadh, its governor, Hamad Al-Sayari, emphasised the growing strength of the Saudi economy and noted increasing investment in all vital sectors.

What is Bicast?

Bicast (or Bycast, Bykast, Baycast or Bikast as it is sometimes known) is essentially an alternative method of finishing a split leather. In cattle hides, the collagen fibres in the corium are much larger than they are in the grain. Therefore, when the leather has been split, the split surface will be very rough . If a conventional finish is sprayed to this rough surface, it will still appear very rough.

The problem

Tanners and users of vegetable tanned leather will almost certainly have come across annoying discolourations of their leather, the so-called 'ink' stains. These stains can vary in colour from dark grey through to inky black or dark green and the pattern can vary according to the source.

The problem

Yellowing of leather is a problem that has confounded our industry for a very long time. Obviously, pale and pastel shades will be affected most, but other colours are affected, just more difficult to see and will normally manifest itself in a change of colour, ie a blue leather will appear slightly greener if yellowing has occurred. All stages of the leather making process can be affected and even the final product such as footwear.

The problem

Sudden and unexplained problems with weakness are often reported to our laboratories. The tanner may complain that he has used the same process day after day with no problems, then all of a sudden a small percentage of a batch may have low tear strength or lastometer values.

The problem

It has been found that there are some contradictions in the definitions of aniline, semi-aniline and pigmented leather in the available literature. This has inevitably lead to some confusion within the industry, particularly over the description of semi-aniline leather.

The problem

In use, leather can be subjected to considerable stresses, eg during lasting it is heated to temperatures which can be in excess of 100°C and stretched with considerable force.

The problem

Hair slip occurs when the hair or wool in raw hides or skins has been sufficiently degraded by enzymes to allow it to be removed from the hide or skin with relative ease.

The problem

Problems due to changes in the colour of leather when exposed to light present themselves on a fairly regular basis and occur across a wide spectrum of leather articles. Most commonly poor lightfastness results in a fading of the colour intensity from dark to pale.

The problem

The problem

Acids are an essential ingredient in many parts of the leather making process. They are used as a preservative for part processed skins, eg pickled pelts, and to create the correct pH for chemical penetration and reaction to occur, eg penetration of chrome tanning agents.

The problem

One of the key advantages leather has over other materials is that it possesses great strength without losing its flexibility and porosity - few man made products can rival it!

The problem

Peeling of the finish during use is a frequent customer complaint, particularly in domestic upholstery leather . Sometimes the entire finish peels away from the leather surface, but more commonly it is an inter-coat adhesion problem.

The problem

Very prominent blood vessels in leather are not only unsightly but can also present some physical problems; they can sometimes present an area of weakness along which the leather constantly flexes, giving rise to irregular deep creases instead of a uniform small break.

The problem

As soon as a hide or skin is removed from the carcase, it is susceptible to bacterial attack. The bacteria penetrate into the skin via the exposed flesh surface where they can rapidly multiply. Under ideal conditions, a single bacterium can divide every 20 minutes and, therefore, within 24 hours will have multiplied to give a population of 4,000 million.

The Problem

Grain damage is probably one of the most common problems occurring in the tannery and the cost can be immense.

The issue

The problem

Like bacteria, mould spores are everywhere and most of the time they cause no harm. However, every now and again mould raises its ugly head and can cause untold damage. Not only is mould growth unsightly, it can be a health hazard.

Part I of an experimental study - ageing resistance - by Dr Ramón Palop, Joan Parareda and Olga Ballús of the tanning laboratory of Cromogenia-Units SA, Barcelona, Spain.

The Problem

An earlier article in this series discussed the problems of butcher's strain; small tears resulting from extremes of force during the removal of the skin from the carcase. This article is a natural progression from that and discusses flay cuts.

What is cadmium?

Cadmium is a transition metal which occurs naturally in the form of greenockite. It is rare and nearly always associated with sphalerite (a sulfide ore of zinc). Hence, cadmium is largely produced as a byproduct from the mining of zinc. The name of the element was derived from the Latin ‘cadmia' and the Greek ‘kadmeia,' both ancient names for calamine (zinc carbonate). Cadmium and several cadmium containing-compounds are known carcinogens and can induce many types of cancer.

V Sivakumar, K Jeyaraj, R Chandrasekar, and G Swaminathan from the Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai, India discuss the advantages of adding titanium to chrome leathers.

Veinous defects on the surface of the leather have been familiar to tanners for many years. CTC has evaluated which stages of processing a box-calf leather offer opportunities to alleviate these defects whilst conserving the functionalities required from this type of leather.

Farrukh Nazir, from PCSIR Leather Research Centre, Karachi, Pakistan, reviews the use of mangrove as an ecologically friendly tanning material.

An awareness of restricted substances is critical for all involved in the leather supply chain. Many substances are restricted either through legislation or through the brands and eco-labels. Although the leather industry is becoming more aware of the substances that are restricted, it is of interest to consider the background to their listing and some of the reasons behind their restriction. This article provides an overview of the element lead (Pb).

Eser Eke Bayramoglu, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Leather Engineering, Ege University, Türkiye, highlights the use of essential oils as potential biocides for the leather industry

In recent years the consumer market has moved towards requiring an enhanced level of responsibility from brands and retailers for their products. To keep leather brands and retailers up-to-date on hot topics regarding restricted substances, BLC will be writing a series of articles for this publication.

Purchasing decisions are based on factors such as quality and, increasingly, on social, ethical, safety and environmental grounds. Restricted substances are an important issue for both manufacturers and consumers due to extensive and complex legislation. Whether it is potentially harmful to the environment or to the user, everything should be checked in order to demonstrate due diligence and corporate social responsibility.

In each issue, one substance will be looked at in detail, including subjects such as legislation, toxicity and safe limits. This overview article is the first in the series and covers frequently asked questions by manufacturers and retailers.

The Heidemann lecture at last year's Washington IULTCS Congress was presented by Lorenz Siggel of BASF. Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals and has been studied for more than a century with the aim of improving the tanning, dyeing and finishing processes.

Introduction

Chrome tannage has been recognized as one of the most effective tanning agents and has been widely employed in the leather industry since its discovery more than 100 years ago. However, due to its environmental impact, the practice of tanning with chromium (Cr) compounds has been restricted or prohibited in developed areas such as the United States and Europe and certain goods made with chrome tanned leathers are no longer allowed to be manufactured or sold within these countries.

My train rolled along tracks winding though a landscape dotted with farms and the steady rattle was punctuated by the assault of raindrops and gusting wind against the windows. We had just pulled out of a station and the new passengers, with a cold dampness clinging to them, fled into our car. 

A novel wet-end technology based on expandable microspheres has been developed by LANXESS in order to upgrade lower quality hides and skins. Dietrich Tegtmeyer presented the work at the IULTCS Congress in Washington. His co-authors were Otto Vorlaender, Werner Zeyen, Frank Silberkuhl and Christopher Tysoe.

Work on alternatives to sulfide dehairing through the use of oxidative agents was presented at the XXIX congress of the IULTCS/103rd annual meeting of ALCA in Washington DC earlier this year. The authors are William N Marmer and Robert L Dudley of the Eastern Regional Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service. This is an abridged version and the copyright of the full paper rests with ALCA.

White shoes gain a pinkish hue before they have been worn. Leather brief cases can become sticky during storage. The phenomena of migration and bleeding are the enemies of the shoe and leathergoods industries. This article explores this issue and identifies methods of prevention. Tanners and suppliers should be equally interested because the solution to this problem lies in their hands