Tanning refers to the process of treating the animal hide to turn into the leather, which prevents the hide from rotting.
The chromium tanning process starts right when the animal’s skin is procured.
This process ensures supple and water-resistant leather. Chrome Tanning can be completed within a day using modern machinery. It is quick and requires only some industrial machinery and chemicals.
The process by which chrome tanning is carried out has a negative environmental impact, especially in developing countries. The toxic waste water can seep into the ground and affect soil and groundwater supplies. And hence it is process that is not considered when you are looking to produce leather in a sustainable manner.
Chrome Free Leather is leather that has been manufactured without using chromium in the tanning process. This process is critical to ensure the depletion of waste streams and reduce the strains put on environment. Leather obtained from this process is durable, a leather product which can last a lifetime or maybe even longer. Since it is made from a by-product of the meat industry, it recycles hide or skin which would otherwise go to waste. The leather can be circular and biodegradable material when using the right chemicals.
This method is ideal as it has lesser carbon footprint and has a simpler production step than vegetable tanned leather. Simpler process means also cost efficient, so products made using this leather can be attainable to a much larger audience.
The process of vegetable tanned leather starts immediately when the animal hide is sourced. The hide is salted. The salt keeps the hide moist and prevents the grain from getting destroyed. The process of vegetable tanning uses organic material and natural tannins derived from barks, leaves and branches of trees and plants. The leather has a distinctively sweet, woody fragrance that is normally associated with leather. Vegetable tanning produces the sturdiest leather, which is a little less pliable. This method involves the heavy usage of water and the time taken to produce a batch of leather is around two months.
Vegetable tanning is a process that is complex and time taking hence it is expensive and only skilled craftsmen can process this. But it is by far one of the cleanest forms of leather.
We at Popular Styles promote Chrome-Free tanning as much as possible to our clients to ensure our movement towards becoming sustainable.
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