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Leather Industry and Its Impact on Net Zero

Leather Industry and Its Impact on Net Zero

Mahabubur Rahman Khan (University of Lincoln, UK), Bart Vorselaars (University of Lincoln, UK), Mahfuzur Rahman (University of Lincoln, UK), Ahmed Elseragy (University of Lincoln, UK), and Waqar Ahmed (University of Lincoln, UK)
Copyright: © 2023 |Pages: 25
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-6830-2.ch011
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Abstract

The leather industry is one of the oldest industries around the world and produces many different types of leather and leather goods. These products are incredibly popular among millions of people across the world for fashion and function. The leather manufacturing sector has been contributing more than $100 billion to the global markets. However, it is considered a major source of pollution with over 80% of the raw material going to waste. It produces toxic waste, environmental pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. The main factors in greenhouse effects include energy consumption, wastewater, and solid waste. The emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) through industrial processes is a crucial problem for the environment. This chapter will provide a condensed review of relevant literature on leather manufacturing and the direction forward to achieving net zero. The importance of leather and its products, its contribution to the economic global markets, manufacturing processes, environmental pollution, net zero, and the role of mathematics for net zero have been discussed.
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1. Leather And Its Importance

Leather is a versatile and unique material with an assortment of complex natural fibres, skins, and hides. Small animal skin is known as skins, and skins from large animals are known as hides. Using various chemical and physical processes the hides are converted into finished leather. Raw leather is stiff and dry. After the tanning process leather becomes durable and robust.

Different types of leather have individual properties and appearances depending on the type of raw materials source, grade, environment, and treatment process. The cowhide has the largest contribution to over 65% of total skin/hide as a raw material for leather production. The history of leather dates back 7000 years (MasterClass, 2021). Around 1700s, some developed nations, mainly France, Great Britain, and Spain, had first established the world trade routes for leather manufacturing, trade of hides and its products around the globe (Liberty Leather Goods, 2023).

Leather is natural and long-lasting. It is uniquely important and very popular due to its excellent combined ability of beauty, comfort, and practicality. The main reasons for the high demand are:

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    Goods made from leather are long-lasting.

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    It is easy to maintain, and leather products are repairable.

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    It is recyclable and can be used again and again.

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    Leather is an incredibly versatile material and feels natural and comfortable.

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    Leather is a good thermal insulator and keeps people warm.

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    Its goods are naturally beautiful, glamorous, and stylish.

Leather is one of the oldest useful materials. Globally the leather industry creates enormous employment as well as skills for millions. It is playing an important role in the economy throughout the world.

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3. Uses Of Leather

Due to the reasons mentioned in section 1. Some of the uses of leather are included in table 1.

Table 1.
Applications of leather
978-1-6684-6830-2.ch011.g01

Source: Love Your Leather (2022)

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