Sustainability is, before anything else, a matter of awareness and, consequently, of responsibility. Italian tanneries – from a sectoral point of view – know it well, and all too well all the tanneries that – on an individual level – continuously pursue green goals that go beyond just reducing environmental impact. The Russo di Casandrino case demonstrates this. “We have achieved a level of awareness that plays a crucial role for the entire supply chain”, says Marco Monaco, chief production officer and shareholder of the Campania-based tannery. “We feel we are captains, responsible for the sustainability of the leather product, and we have the courage, strength and skills to take it on in the future as well. Of this great commitment and the results we have achieved so far, the market is taking notice and is finally rewarding us”.
Captains of sustainability
“Luxury brands”, Monaco continues, ”will inevitably have to increasingly reward and protect healthy and environmentally-friendly business realities like ours. Awareness of our environmental impact based on scientific data and calculation methods is only the first step toward an even more sustainable future”. In other words: sustainability is a science, not a cliché used as a marketing tool. “For 2 years – 1 operationally – we have activated a Sustainability Team that also involves 3 young engineers specialized in energy, chemistry and traceability, and environment. This team is continuously engaged in an activity that allow us to be autonomous and capable to do second-level audits, for example, as we are doing in relation to all our subcontractors”.
From LCA to Corporate Carbon Footprint
“In order to breathe new life into a series of virtuous activities already put in place during the last decade”, Monaco explains, ”we decided, in collaboration with Spin360, to start last year with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology and then continue with the Corporate Carbon Footprint to assess the company’s environmental impact. The approach that “we decided to apply is strictly data driven.
This has allowed us to assess the LC of all sheep and cattle items produced in the company, so we can determine the impact of each individual product”. The results? “Lower than the market average of our competitors”. Here is the true meaning of “sustainability”: a competitive tool, not a marketing tool. In the area of carbon footprint, “we calculated that our direct emissions are 2.1%, while indirect emissions reach 5.6% of the total. Everything else comes from the supply chain. This is where we need to intervene, starting with our suppliers”.
Green engineering
“After focusing on measuring product impact, we decided to extend the analysis to the entire organization. In 2024, we implemented the second phase with a clear goal: to establish a baseline year to start reducing the company’s overall environmental impact in the near future. The period considered is the year 2023, based on measuring the Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF), following the GHG Protocol guidelines, in terms of Scope 1, 2 and 3”. Tanning as green engineering, then.
Strategic tools
Russo di Casandrino’s green vision does not end there. “We have successfully completed several key projects and initiated many more”, explains Monaco. For example, “The installation of a cogeneration plant (2015), energy consumption monitoring systems (2021), and photovoltaic fields for 500 kilowatts of peak power. The company has also upgraded most of its lines and machinery to 4.0 and introduced innovative systems to reuse the thermal waste produced by the cogenerator on the one hand and infrared systems on the other in the drying elements of some finishing lines. In April 2024 we renewed our LWG certification according to protocol 7.2.4 by achieving Gold rating and next month we will start RESCUE. This is an innovative research project aimed at the validation, at an industrial level, of solid waste recovery processes in the tanning industry”.
A question of engagement
“A tannery”, Monaco concludes, ”must be very clear about its green vision. Ours requires that, in order to respect and develop it to the fullest. There must be the active involvement of the whole company. We, by now, are involved and empowered at every level. Going down this road is certainly complex, but it brings great satisfaction”.
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