Chemical company Stahl brings a product innovation for the leather industry. Its new portfolio of water-repellent solutions ensures that leather items such as footwear and hiking gear are able to withstand outdoor conditions like rain, water, and snow without compromising on performances and assuring low impact for the environment. These new solutions are PFC-free (Perfluorocarbon) and BTX-free (benzene toluene xylene) and part of the Stahl Neo leather finish portfolio. Stahl will officially launch its water-repellent portfolio at ACLE, taking place from 30 August to 1 September in Shanghai.

"Despite harm caused to the environment, the use of PFC was common practice in the industry for waterproofing leather. By excluding PFC, we take another step towards a more sustainable leather industry," says Huub van Beijeren, chief executive officer at Stahl. "Herewith we support brands that aim to ban hazardous substances from their products. We are proud to introduce our new line of water-repellent solutions for leather that not only comply with the 2020 ZDHC MRSL goals, but are also PFC-free and BTX-free."

Xavier Rafols, group director leather finish, adds. "This enables brands and manufacturers to improve the performances of their leather products in a qualitative and sustainable way."

Benefits

Stahl’s water repellents are easy to use and can be applied by any conventional method ensuring great durability and excellent resistance to water spotting. These solutions are especially interesting for leather items for outdoor use like gloves, footwear, and outdoor gear, as well as any item that require water spot resistance. They are applicable on nappalan finishes, suede, nubuck or full grain leather. The new water-repellent solutions can easily be combined with many other products of the Stahl Neo portfolio, which not only comply with the guidelines of the Zero Discharge Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL), but go even beyond.

Visit Stahl at ACLE

Visit the Stahl stand at ACLE for more information about the water-repellent solutions, Stahl Neo and other recent innovations like milling chemicals and upgrading solutions. The Stahl stand is located in hall E3, stand B07.