Chrome-Tanned Leather and Exotic Skins
Kerry Senior
Monday, 1 February 2021
Chrome-tanned leather accounts for around 90% of the world's leather industry today. It has a poor reputation when it comes to sustainability, with concerns specifically around its biodegradability and toxicity causing designers to seek out alternatives. But Kerry Senior, Director of Leather UK, the trade association for the UK leather industry has some surprising facts about chrome-tanned leather that may change your mind about this material. We also discussed exotic leathers, their impact on the environment, and common misconceptions.
Watch part one of this conversation here.
Thumbnail image: Leather UK
In this lesson you'll learn:
- About chrome-tanned and veg-tanned leather and how they compare as materials, both in their production and biodegradability
- What has caused chrome-tanned leather to have such a bad reputation, and why these perceptions are misconceived
- Interesting facts about exotic skins and why not using exotic leathers can have negative knock-on effects for the environment and biodiversity
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