Antonio Battaglia, co-owner and BU Leather director of Silvateam, takes stock of the Ecotan project capable of “revolutionizing the world of leather”.

Piedmont is a region apt for doing business while respecting and capturing the best of the natural resources the area offers. Some have made their fortunes worldwide with hazelnuts and others with chestnuts. “I would say that the king of hazelnuts for now far surpasses the king of chestnuts,” Battaglia jokingly comments. The Ecotan project, which has introduced a biocircular tanning alternative to the leather world, is just two years old, but it has changed the industry so profoundly that it is already time to draw the first conclusions.

Silvateam’s owner, Antonio Battaglia, first takes the pulse of the company founded in 1854 and which, over the course of the 20th century, has grown to become a world leader in the production and marketing of plant extracts and their derivatives, as well as being recognized internationally as a producer of chemicals for the tanning industry. “For us, the recent years have been very important. Today, Silvateam devotes 50% of its efforts to the food ingredients and animal nutrition sectors. The other half of our business focuses on the leather world, the company’s historical core business. Our efforts are largely directed toward the development of the Ecotan project.”