Ecco Leather unveils new tanning technology
13/09/2018
This version of a classic Ecco shoe is to unveil what Ecco Leather has called “game-changing technology” for its tanneries. Called DriTan, the technology allows leather manufacturers to use to the full the moisture already present in hides and, therefore, consume less water in the tanning process.
Ecco has calculated that DriTan allows it to save 20 litres per hide, and because it currently processes 1.25 million hides per year at its tannery in Dongen, it believes the new technology will help it save a total of 250 million litres of water per year there.
“This process only involves what you already have at hand,” said the company’s head of applied research, Thomas Gøgsig, at the time of the announcement. “You don’t have to invest in new equipment. You don’t have to look for new exotic chemicals. You just use what is already available in the tannery, only in a different way.”
Apart from the savings in water, the technology will also reduce wastewater discharge from its tanneries and allow Ecco Leather to reduce its use of chemicals. At its tannery in the Dongen alone, Ecco Leather has calculated that it will eliminate 600 tonnes of sludge per year thanks to DriTan.
The technology is the fruit of five years’ research and development activity, which had as its starting point a question about the possibility of tanning without water in a world of increasing water scarcity. “It took a lot of research, investment and manpower,” Thomas Gøgsig said. “But the biggest challenge was in opening our eyes. Tanning is a very old and traditional industry, so people tend to forget to ask if it can be done differently.”
Share this story:
