Tanning hides and skins is one of mankind’s oldest trades.
It began when primitive man realised there was more value to an animal than food. Our prehistoric predecessors used the hides and skins of large mammals for clothing that protected them from adverse weather conditions. However, left untreated, the hide or skin of an animal quickly begins to rot, putrefy and smell. So our ancestors found ways to stop this natural process so their clothing didn’t become unwearable, if not unbearable. Just think how those early discoveries happened. After a hide lay out in the sun for a few days, it became stiff and hard, but the offensive smell disappeared.

An important prehistoric advancement was smoke tanning. Hides and skins were used as building material for tents and huts. The smoke from the fireplace preserved (tanned) the hides and increased their resistance to the elements. This method was utilized extensively by Native Americans for their teepees and wigwams, and remains popular today in some parts of China.

Another successful invention was vegetable tanning. It probably started when hides were placed in a pool of water surrounded by trees. Pieces of wood, bark and leaves floated in the pond which contained natural “agents,” or chemicals, that tanned the hide. This type of treatment dominated the leather industry until the 19th century when the chrome tanning process for leather emerged.

 During the Middle Ages, tanneries became well-organised. They gathered in special areas where raw materials (hides and skins, access to water) were present in large quantities. Many tanneries have been located in the same areas in Europe for more than 500 years.

There weren’t many changes in leather manufacturing from the Middle Ages through the end of the 17th century. But advancements in chemistry in the 19th century were vital to the development of the industry, especially chrome tanning, which utilizes salts of chromium to tan the animal skins and hides, as well as the use of enzymes and many other discoveries.

At first, the science of leather tanning was accidental. Yesterday, tanning harnessed the best practices of an agrarian craft and transformed it into a modern industry. Today, research and development is a systematic process that maximises the benefits of animal hides and skins as an important natural resource while minimising stress on the environment.

Tomorrow, the European leather industry will continue to develop innovative clean technologies that bring sustainable solutions to complex ecological, safety, aesthetic and performance challenges.

Cleaner water, better environment
Leather is usually tanned with chromium, or “chrome”: the chemical element used to coat other metals with a shiny finish that does not tarnish. Tanning hides with chromium salts produces soft, supple leather that can be dyed in a wide range of colours. By reducing the quantity of these salts to the precise amount required to maintain the quality consumers expect in a leather product, the discharge of chromium into the water used to process hides has been reduced by more than 90%.

Water worth waiting for
Large amount of water were once a significant part of many leather tanning processes. However, since water has become a scarce resource in some parts of Europe, the leather industry has done its part to re-engineer its once-wasteful ways.
For the past few decades, science has helped the leather industry reduce its water consumption by more than 60 percent. This has been achieved by the development of new cleaning techniques, the use of batch processes instead of rinsing, and better water management.

The main difference between leather and synthetic materials is that leather can "breathe" and shape itself over time to the wearer.  High-quality leather also offers the ability to absorb moisture without feeling wet.  For example, the human foot produces between three and five centilitres of sweat every day.  Forty percent of the sweat will disappear, while the remaining moisture should be absorbed by the shoe so the foot doesn’t feel wet.  Leather is the best material for this purpose.
Leather also resists a nearly infinite amount of bending and delivers excellent elasticity.  This is an important comfort factor for the top part, or “upper,” of a shoe since the foot swells during the day.

Just like mom

When babies are born, the infants are often laid on a blanket made of…leather!  The soft, warm qualities of leather are far superior to other materials for the critical moment when the child is first separated from its mother.  This particular kind of leather must be “baby-proof” through careful selection and processing to make it soft, safe and comfortable.

Picture: The Celtic Sheepskin Company