Main Production Resources
After raw hides, water, energy and chemicals are the most important process inputs for tanning hides. While the efficient management of these resources is essential for the proper operation of a tannery, activities and projects aimed at improving such management, especially with a view to seeking the lowest possible environmental impact, are essential in developing a tanning company’s sustainability.
Water Consumption
After raw hides, water is the most important raw material in the leather tanning process. Most manufacturing processes take place in aqueous baths, as water is essential in making all chemicals penetrate raw hides.
Water use is both environmentally and economically critical. The costs associated with managing water are the most onerous cost item in a tannery’s environmental budget.
Water is used in the wet stages of tanning, in steam production, in washing and cleaning cycles, and in abatement and cooling systems.
It is the matrix in which most of the processes take place, but it is not ’consumed’ as part of them: 95% of the water used in tanning processes is sent to sewage treatment plants for purification.
From an environmental viewpoint, water supplies and water purification are the most relevant aspects for the tanning industry.
In 2022, the detected water consumption reached 122 litres of water per square metre of leather produced.
The average value over 21 years of the survey is just over 119 L/m2.
Water consumption
No Data Found
2022 data
Change 2002/2022
Water Supply
Water is supplied to tanneries through authorised artesian wells with special regulations or under contracts with industrial and civil aqueducts. The data reported are collected by the companies through meter readings from the internal wells and/or industrial aqueducts to which they are connected and therefore represent an accurate accounting. In tanneries, in addition to being the main element in which chemical processes take place, water is also used for washing hides, machines and working environments. Tannery water consumption substantially depends on the mix of raw materials put into processing, which varies according to the product to be obtained. Tanneries that carry out the full cycle, from raw hide to finished leather, have higher overall values than those that have semi-finished materials as process inputs, for example wet blue.
Energy Consumption
The leather production process requires both electrical energy to run the machines, and thermal energy to heat the process water and equipment.
In recent years, the Italian leather industry has significantly decreased the amount of energy used in the production process while at the same time working to increase the use of renewable sources within its supplies and the deployment of high-efficiency cogeneration plants.
Energy consumption
No Data Found
2022 data
Change 2003/2022
Renewable energy out of total energy consumption
Renewable energy out of total purchased electricity
Energy consumption is expressed in Tons of Oil Equivalent per 1,000 square metres of leather produced (TOE/1,000 m2).
Electricity is largely used to operate machinery and equipment, while thermal energy is used to bring process water to temperature, heat work rooms and other specific machinery.
The 2022 value is 0.88 TOE/1,000 m2, which puts the average for the data collection period at 1.10 TOE/1,000 m2.
Energy sources for the heat needs of tanneries are still mainly natural gas and other fossil fuels.
Electricity supplies are varied, with an equally variable supplier generation mix. The use of renewable energy appears to be steadily increasing, with a growing number of companies meeting significant portions of their energy needs with it.
In a sample survey such as that of the Sustainability Report, there is some variability in unit energy consumption, resulting from the varying energy intensity of production processes, a variable mix of raw material being processed, and changes in the energy efficiency of machinery and equipment.
Energy consumption can be reduced in tanneries on several fronts:
Chemical Consumption
Chemicals are used in the different process phases, to act on the structure of the dermis and confer the aesthetic and chemical-physical properties necessary to produce leather.
Tanning chemistry is constantly evolving. More effective products are developed which have greater environmental compatibility and are respectful of workplace safety thanks to the collaboration between tanneries and chemical producers, and allow us to obtain items characterized by the utmost aesthetic and performance levels, as well as subjected to an innovative and continuous improvement process.
Chemical consumption
No Data Found
2022 data
In 2022, an average consumption of approximately 2.46 kg/m2 of chemicals was detected for each square metre of finished leather.
Tanneries continue to invest to select chemical aids with greater environmental compatibility through tests and experiments, demonstrating their commitment by adhering to programs for the chemical management of processes such as ZDHC and through countless process and product certifications on environmental matters.