As sustainability is becoming increasingly important in all industries, how can practices that have been built through centuries of tradition keep up? Silvateam brings its innovative Ecotan technology to the market and, as the first bio-circular leather, with it a shift towards a greener future.

Silvateam has developed an innovative tanning technology to obtain high-performance leathers that are 100% free of metals, glutaraldehyde, and other potentially hazardous substances, while they are high in biogenic carbon. The company aims to produce finished articles in harmony with human health and the environment. These formulations start from nature, using plant-based tannins that are combined with biopolymers and man-made tannins. The hides can be finished in many ways to make a wide range of leather goods, from footwear to bags, to applications in furniture and automotive.

Ecotan strives to provide a concrete response to environmental protection through a bio-circular system that does not produce waste. This technology revolves around the upcycling of leather items at the end of their life cycle, as well as leather scraps and cuttings, turning them into biofertilizers for organic farming through a hydrolysis process. The ground-breaking Ecotan concept was developed thanks to Silvateam’s partnership with Fertilizzanti Certaldo, a leading Italian producer of fertilizers from organic matrices.

In this way, the leather industry can close the loop by returning unused materials to become natural useful resources, such as nitrogen and biocarbon – nutrients that increase agricultural yield and, consequently, promote the growth of the livestock from which the raw hides come. While the upcycling of leather waste is already available, take-back programmes to recycle spent products will understandably take longer time, as a coordinated effort is needed to create a supply chain in line with the principles of a full circular economy.

The next challenges for Ecotan will be pursuing and fine-tuning new recycling models such as the biodegradability and compostability of leathers – some articles produced by Ecotan partners with Ecotan technology are already tested accordingly.