Sustainability – reducing the carbon footprint

The Scottish Leather Group, which is made up of Bridge of Weir Leather Company, Andrew Muirhead & Son, NCT Leather Ltd and W J & W Lang Ltd, is the largest manufacturer of bovine leather in the United Kingdom with a turnover in excess of £50 million ($80 million).
In order to address environmental and sustainability issues head on, the group set up SLG Technology in 2008, whose main purpose is to implement the subsidiary companies’ environmental policies across the board and look at new ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
‘I saw an article recently’, says Bowden ‘where a leather company was talking about a ‘new’ process. It was strange to read, as we’ve been using the same, if not more advanced, technology for about ten years.’
‘At Scottish Leather Group we believe in making leather without it costing the earth and have been working to attain and develop our ‘green’ credentials and reduce carbon emissions across all parts of the business since 2003.’ Itself a by-product of the meat industry, leather production has traditionally been seen as a high-end consumer of natural resources and fossil fuels.
‘We take our environmental responsibilities seriously’, comments Bowden, ‘our customers expect it and our reputation as an industry leader demands that we are ahead of the competition. Sustainability is not a choice, it’s a requirement.’
‘This year we have reduced our carbon footprint for the fifth successive year. We have now decreased by 20% and as such, received a Carbon Trust Energy Efficiency Award for our efforts. We currently use 15kW/m2 of leather in the manufacturing process, (raw to finished), as opposed to an industry standard of 47kW/m2, he added.
The Group has a stated objective of achieving zero waste and is currently working on a strategy to deliver it.
‘Landfill costs have risen dramatically over the last few years and anyone who does not address this will be out of business. There are rumours that the UK government is also looking at introducing a carbon tax and there is no point in burying your head in the sand and hoping all this will go away, because it won’t.’
‘We are using less water in our process and by installing a highly efficient waste water plant we are able, using primary, secondary and tertiary effluent treatment and on-site generated oxygen to meet IPPC requirements.’
SLG have also pioneered the development of alternative approaches to tanning and approximately one third of production capacity is now based on an organic tanning system that uses a bark extract from black wattle trees. The extract comes from African forests, which are commercially managed on a 10-year cycle of ecological growth and harvest.
Scottish Leather Group does not just encourage sustainability by controlling the manufacturing process, the sourcing of hides and ‘hide miles’ are equally important. ‘We are already using a by-product of the beef industry in our manufacturing process which is in itself recycling. However, if you are importing your hides from Brazil and Argentina etc, you aren’t doing much for your ‘green credentials’,’ states Bowden. ‘Higher quality raw materials mean less waste and less intensive processing. We source nearly all our hides from top quality British beef cattle and apply rigorous standards, buying direct from the abattoir to ensure consistency of the end product. We even employ someone to work directly with the abattoirs to ensure that we have the best hides possible. We demonstrate our quality control throughout the entire manufacturing process.’
Customer demand can have a major influence on how companies address green issues, and as a supplier to some of the top names in the automotive and airline industries, the Scottish Leather Group is subject to the exacting standards expected of a preferred supplier.
‘The automotive industry is particularly engaged with environmental issues and as you can imagine with customers such as Ford, Volvo and Aston Martin we need to be able to respond to their requirement to make their end product as ‘green’ as
possible.’
‘The backlash against air miles also means that our airline clients are looking to show that they are trying to address the carbon issue in other ways and we are dedicated to helping them achieve this objective. Group company Andrew Muirhead & Son recently supplied leather for the Singapore Airlines and Emirates A380 Airbus and the trend in mega-aircraft is set to continue. According to Airbus, 1,000 new aircraft are forecast to come into operation in each of the next 20 years.’
The key to Scottish Leather Group’s success lies in the ability to back up their green message with facts. Each of the group companies has an environmental policy and statement, which can be viewed on the website.
Bowden added, ‘The continuous investment in technical innovation through SLG Technology has moved our manufacturing process from a craft based operation to a technology driven enterprise with our own manufacturing IP. We hold ISO 14001 which sets the standard and puts us well ahead of our competitors.’
According to John Stocks, manager, Carbon Trust in Scotland, all businesses in Scotland will become increasingly accountable for their emissions and their efforts to reduce those emissions. He said, ‘In line with current global scientific evidence, the Scottish government has decided that it is appropriate for Scotland to adopt a target of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050. This follows last year’s Stern report in the UK which communicated in no uncertain terms that inaction will cost more than action.’
Currently, the Scottish Leather Group is on track to beat those targets well before the government deadline. As Bowden concludes, ‘Sustainability is not a choice, it’s a requirement.’