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when compared with other organic systems.

The leather also exhibits a high light fastness and is suitable for the production of a wide range of colours that include pastel shades and, most especially, white. It is in fact very readily dyed and it is easy to achieve full penetration through the cross-section of the substrate. However, dye build-up is much stronger when compared to other organic tanning systems, which means 20% to 30% less anionic dyestuffs are needed for any shade at a given intensity. The development of this new tanning system has taken a number of years of closely guarded work by Clariant’s chemists and the system has been trialled in various tanneries around the world.

One of those selected was ECCO in the Netherlands. “I was intrigued when Clariant called me to say that they had created a brand new tanning process that essentially combined all the benefits of the various traditional methods without any of the negatives,” says MrPanos Mytaros, the managing director of ECCO Leather BV.

“ECCO has always been recognised as an innovative company—we have our own extensive R&D facility based in Dongen, Netherlands—and EasyWhite Tan seemed to provide many of the solutions the tanning industry has been hoping for.”

“ECCO Leather was very happy to see, finally, an innovation in tanning. Our worry in past years has been that the industry has been stuck in a traditional way of working and did not seek any innovation. Clariant proves that tanning can be different too.

“I remember my grandfather when they went from traditional chrome free tanning to chrome; a lot of scepticism and resistance but great results after. It is again time that the

leather industry broke away from the ‘it is always like that’ or ‘can not’ mind-set.

“Not only is water consumption reduced, but the time process is shorter and simpler compared to the traditional tanning materials. We are also impressed with the salt reduction in the wastewater; this is a major plus of the system.”

Based on all the evidence so far, EasyWhite Tan would appear to be the answer to several problems which tanners and shoemakers have been under increasing pressure to resolve. Finding a practical alternative has therefore become increasingly imperative and EasyWhite Tan would certainly appear to be a timely and effective response.

Alternatives to existing processes often seem to be relatively obvious until the snags appear. Most have limitations in one way or another, whether from availability, cost, environmental aspects or questions of suitability for certain types of finished product. EasyWhite Tan would also appear to possess the versatility needed to become a general purpose tanning agent that could be used for virtually any conventional leather application.

As regards environmental and health concerns, it scores in both cases. It produces less wastewater and, at the same time, uses less water during the tanning process when the latter is likely to become an increasingly scarce global resource. And, lastly, there is the question of cost. In addition to all these advantages, Clariant claims that EasyWhite Tan offers efficiency gains in terms of chemicals consumed and reduced throughput times without any need for extra capital investment. Are we about to witness a new and far reaching revolution in tanning?

Spanish tanner Incusa and footwear brand Fluchos have worked with Inescop on a project to use titanium as an alternative to chrome in the tanning process and test the suitability of the leather produced in footwear applications. As a result, Incusa is expected to begin production of up to 1.2 million square feet of titanium tanned leather per year under the trade name of Sanotan. The leather will initially be used to make a range of shoes to

demonstrate its suitability for general footwear

manufacture and both will be on display at industry events in the coming months. In a completely separate exercise, Inescop has also been working with tanneries and shoe manufacturers in Spain to test the viability of using oxazolidine to tan leather as a further alternative to chrome III with its potential to convert into toxic chrome VI. The institute has said that its tests have so far shown that both titanium and oxazolidine could be used produce finished leather of the right quality for commercial use but without any risk of toxicity. It has also said that, in its view, leather tanned using titanium was also more biodegradable than chrome-tanned leather and produced waste that was easier to manage, with less contaminants in wastewater and in sludge.