Leather industry warning of fake vegetable extracts
4 December 2012The Tanning Extract Producers Federation Limited (TEPF) has issued the following statement relating to fake vegetable tanning extracts that have been made and recently marketed to the tanning industry.
“The use of vegetable extracts in blends is not a new phenomenon and has been around for many years and many of the vegetable extract producers themselves manufacture such products.
However in recent times there are a number of unscrupulous companies who are now manufacturing and marketing such blends and other products and passing them off as pure vegetable extracts. Independent analysis of some of these products has shown that tannin contents range from 0 to 30% and certainly nowhere near the 70% tannin content found in pure vegetable extracts.
These companies are making these claims through their web sites and also on their product specification sheets and MSDS which are misleading tanners into believing they are using an extract with high tannin content. They also state that these products are alternatives to the commonly known vegetable extracts found in the markets.
It has also been established that the agents of these unscrupulous companies are importing these goods using the HS codes for vegetable extracts, which is potentially fraudulent.
Tanners need to be aware of these fake products and that the use of such products could affect the tanning process and final quality of the leather being produced and if in doubt should ask for an independent analysis of the product or they can seek further assistance from The Tanning Extract Producers Federation.”
The Tanning Extract Producers Federation is the industry body representing the interests of vegetable extract producers and its members account for more than 90% of the commercial vegetable extract produced in the world.
Contact: admin@tepf.eu
