DOI: 10.36347/sjebm.2020.v07i12.003

Pages: 443-450

The growing production needs and the demand for products that are increasingly in line with the needs of an evolving company have led to a progressive increase in the complexity of the reference technology, which is inevitably accompanied by a dramatic increase in the environmental impact and, therefore, the loss of the primitive sustainable nature of the sector. In fact, the transformation of putrescible animal integuments into a stable and versatile material such as leather perhaps represents the first example of enhancing a waste in precious raw material, respecting the principles of what we now call circular economy. The current challenge on the sustainability of the tanning production sector therefore requires a set of actions, including the use of efficient certification systems that induce chemical suppliers, tanneries and waste material treatment companies to create a increasingly transparent production flow. Already today there are several companies that have embarked on a path aimed at building a new market system that focuses on sustainability as added value with the ambitious goal of Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals.