There’s only one way to save leather: recycling. True recycling which goes beyond a mere marketing campaign, through which it is possible to transform a product into another equally useful one. Silvateam took the first step on this path by developing Ecotan, a recyclable, metal-free and glutaraldehyde-free leather made using natural tannins, biopolymers and sustainable finishing products, safe for humans and the environment. Over 20 of the top tanneries around the world have joined the project and are ready to supply Ecotan leathers. Both finished articles and scraps from this leather processing are designed to be biocircular.

Through a process of acid hydrolysis, they return to nature as fertilizers for organic farming, closing the cycle of sustainability instead of ending up in landfills to be incinerated. Silvateam’s willingness to look forward and to forecast market requirements has allowed it to start a win-win collaboration with the Italian producer of fertilizers Fertilizzanti Certaldo Srl, opening up promising opportunities for a fashion industry which is increasingly on the lookout for sustainable and recyclable products. Antonio Battaglia, director of Silvateam’s Leather Business Unit, explains why it is the right time for the leather industry to look towards the future.