Leather as a Sustainable Environmental Solution

Leather Kem, leading the ‘Fabbrica Intelligente’ project, launches ‘Eko Natural’, a natural tanning process for high-end leathers.

Leather as a Sustainable Environmental Solution: Federico Giglioli Explains How to Enhance a Waste Material Considered a Major Disposal Problem

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“Market research highlights that a significant portion of consumers, given the same price, opt for products with better sustainability performance. For this reason,” says Federico Giglioli, head of Leather Kem in Ponte a Egola, Pisa, “we have been investing for over ten years in technologies that involve the use of natural products. Our ‘Eko Natural’ process allows us to produce leathers free from heavy metals, fully compliant with the parameters established by REACH and ZDHC regulations, reducing the risk of contact allergies and minimizing health hazards for users”.

Leather is a fascinating material in many ways. Who isn’t drawn to its distinctive scent or the pleasant sensation of touching it? Natural origin, renewability, circularity, durability, and even recyclability are values worth considering. The use of leather helps prevent the waste of a renewable resource, reducing the need for plastic and other synthetic materials that contribute to environmental and oceanic microplastic pollution, which has now even entered the food chain.

“The leather transformation process has a millennia-old tradition,” explains Federico Giglioli. “Leather is one of the most widely used materials for producing footwear, leather goods, and everyday items. No other material compares to leather in terms of its wide range of applications. The tanning industry essentially transforms a by-product of the meat industry, making leather processing a sustainable environmental solution that enhances a waste material that would otherwise pose a significant disposal problem.”

Excellence becomes enterprise: thanks to a grant funded by the Tuscany region, Leather Kem is leading a project called ‘Fabbrica Intelligente’ (Smart Factory), involving Conceria Italpel in Ponte a Egola, tannery machinery company S.C. Costruzioni Meccaniche, the IMT School in Lucca, and the Marchigiano footwear company Sassetti Silvano. The project aims to create an entirely Italian, eco-sustainable supply chain for the production of a special line of footwear.

Technological innovation, process performance, environmental protection, social responsibility, design, and style are the key assets behind the success of the Pisa-based company.

“‘Eko Natural represents the pursuit of sustainable production processes that maintain the high quality of finished leathers—an unprecedented challenge for the chemical and tanning industries,” concludes Federico Giglioli. “We position ourselves as a partner in the production of high-quality, eco-sustainable leathers. Our expertise, decade-long experience, and continuous research have led us to create natural leathers for both footwear and luxury leather goods, proudly made in Italy”.