Tiếng Việt
Leather is a by-product of the meat and dairy industries. Therefore, the leather industry has contributed significantly to environmental conservation. However, when it comes to this industry, there are still many environmental concerns regarding the tanning process. In this article, let’s explore “chrome-free” leather with AURY Vietnam – one of the leathers with a sustainable tanning method, with little impact on the environment.
WHAT IS “CHROME-FREE” LEATHER?
Before learning about “chrome-free” leather, let’s look back at popular tanning methods in leather history.
Vegetable-tanned leather
Since the early days of this industry, people have often used vegetable tanning methods. This is the method using tannin, extracted from bark, leaves, and plants and this method took quite a long time (from 20 – 30 months).
Chrome-tanned leather
Therefore, the second method was invented to solve the timing problem. That is the method of Chromium (English: chrome tanning). This method uses trivalent Chromium (Cr III) and has some outstanding features such as: being faster, lighter, and more stable in color than the vegetable method.
However, when oxygen combines with other factors, such as in a too-high pH condition, Chromium III oxidizes to Chromium VI – a toxic form of chromium (the tanning industry has rejected Chromium VI from the manufacturing process). However, in places where industrial waste is improperly treated, chromium VI can seep into groundwater, contaminating water sources and soil, thereby affecting the health of plants and animals in those areas.
Chrome-free tanned leather
Once again, people need to invent a method of tanning to replace chromium—that is, the “chrome-free” method, which means not using chromium in the tanning process. Instead of using chromium, people replace it with aldehydes. Although there are many methods for producing aldehydes, for the leather tanning industry, aldehydes are usually produced from plants. Since chromium is not used, this tanning process reduces the release of a significant amount of toxic chromium, makes wastewater treatment easier, and creates a circular solution for the meat industry.
Is the chromium-free tanning process affecting the quality of the leather?
The “chrome-free” tanning process (without using chromium) makes the leather look as natural as vegetable-tanned leather but still retains the necessary properties or can be superior to the chromium tanning process.
- It doesn’t take as much time as vegetable-tanned leather.
- Creates a light, soft feeling when held in hand.
- The colours are bright but not too vibrant, creating a pleasant, relaxing, and sophisticated feeling (pastel tones).
- The durability and longevity of “chrome-free” leather are highly appreciated; it can last a lifetime.
In general, “chrome-free” leather not only solves the problem of vegetable tanning (time) but can also replace chromium to reduce the burden on the environment. However, we must also recognize that, to achieve this technique, factories need to spend a larger amount of money to innovate technology. Therefore, “chrome-free” leather is not yet widely used on the market like chromium-tanned leather. However, with the current emphasis on sustainability, the demand for this eco-friendly leather is expected to increase significantly in the future.
