The starting point for biodegradable and compostable leather, but also the most ecological solution for storing leathers and making them no longer perishable, without having to resort to chromium and glutaraldehyde: FUTURE WHITE is the innovative pre-tanning system developed by the Dermacolor company.
We spoke about it with Andrea Meucci, who runs the company together with Valentina Palagini.
What does this pre-tanning process consist of?
«FUTURE WHITE is a system that we have been working on for 25 years and was created for tanneries that want to produce leather under the flag of circularity, offering them the path to follow to obtain biodegradability certifications. FUTURE WHITE is a white pre-tanning agent that is chromium-free. At the same time, it does without glutaraldehyde, phosphonium salts, triazine compounds, and other metals».
What advantages does it offer?
«First and foremost, the possibility of stabilising the leathers, making them indestructible: with FUTURE WHITE we obtain a metal-free leather that is biodegradable in wastewater and compost, that can be stored for a very long time, or dried and then revived without the aid of chemical wetting agents. A versatile system enabling tanneries to obtain all types of leather, from vegetable tanned leather to metal-free tanned leather to classic chrome tanned leather».
Let us elaborate on the circularity aspect of the process
«Chrome never enters the working cycle until the re-tanning phase. Consequently, all previous processes will produce chrome-free and biodegradable scraps, splits, cuttings, and shavings: waste with a low environmental impact, therefore, that can be treated and recovered in an environmentally friendly manner».
www.dermacolor.it
