A natural, healthy product, made by an industrial system that protects the environment and its resources. Italian leather system talks about itself at the Green Week. In other words, it has been the protagonist (on July, Friday 9 and Saturday 10) of three talks at the Green Week, an event in Parma dedicated to sustainability, in the context of which it has also opened its doors to researchers from the most important Italian universities. We tell you all about them here.
Italian leather talks about itself at the Green Week talks
The first panel was titled “Leather, eco-leather, plastic and alternative materials” and was staged on Friday, July 9. “Tannery is a strategic asset for the Italian economy, and is heavily penalised by incorrect communication that often contains fake news – underlined Fulvia Bacchi (director of UNIC – Italian Tanneries) -. Today, Italian tanning is an excellence. The accusations that are made to us are false, but it is very difficult to fight them. As an association we are working extensively, and training young people, which are the target to be involved”.
And Giancarlo Dani, owner of the homonymous tanning group in Veneto, addressed them. Ad he did it by taking off a shoe. “I want a natural sole on my shoes, and you should insert at least a leather insole on your sneakers – he explains -. In fact, leather has the great advantage of absorbing perspiration”. The talk was also attended by Viola Dalle Mese (Conceria Montebello), describing the path that led the company to obtain the Gold Rated LWG qualification, and the first tannery operating in the fashion sector to achieve it.
Water as a resource: an asset to defend
The protagonists of the second tanning talk were Luigi Culpo, general manager of Medio Chiampo, who retraced the history of the purifier, and its transformation into a resource for the Vicenza district. With him, Fabiana Orlandi of the UNIC Environment Service, and Giuseppe Fongaro (coordinator of research activities and Montebello laboratory). The latter explained in detail the great commitment of the Vicenza tannery to monitor every single aspect of production. From the quantity and values of the water used at the beginning of the tanning process, to its conclusion. Passing through the various steps that require distinct processes and, therefore, machinery adapted to the different sustainable and production needs.
From waste to resource, a concrete contribution to the circular economy
Pietro Succol, environmental manager at Dal Maso Group, and Giacomo Zorzi (UNIC Veneto management) on Saturday morning, touched on the various aspects related to the theme of recovery and reuse. A circular virtue that should be made more shared and communicable, allowing those who know little about the sector to understand what tanning really represents.
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