Shaving foam, but not as you know it
Founded in 2020 in Görlitz in eastern Germany, eco-softfibre produces biodegradable flexible “foams”, upcycled from wet white leather shavings. Their work shows that the leather industry offers a route away from petroleum-based polyurethane foam.
With an estimated equivalent of 500 litres of petroleum, in the form of soft foams, in every European household, it is easy to see just how dependent on fossil fuels our modern-day lives have become. In many cases, these “hidden” fossil fuel products go almost unnoticed but they are present in our mattresses, sofas, cars, children’s toys and many other products. Polyurethane foams (PUR) have become ubiquitous. With respect to the end of life cycle, polyurethane foams must be treated as special waste as they cannot be recycled. They ultimately end up in landfill or go for incineration.
We have seen many examples of leather waste finding its way into new applications in leatherboard, bio-fabricated composites and even fertilisers, but now a German company, eco-softfibre, is claiming to be the first and only manufacturer of a material derived from leather waste that can go up against plastic foams.
Problems with foam
Fully reacted polyurethane foam is classed as chemically inert but can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) if not manufactured correctly. Of greater concern is one of the constituents used in its production. Manufactured from the reaction between di-isocyanates and polyols – both derived from crude oil, although some polyols are now made from natural, renewable sources. The risks of isocyanates are well documented and can give rise to asthma, contact dermatitis and even death as was seen in India at the 1984 Bhopal disaster, in which 4,000 people died after a release of Methyl Isocyanate.
Not a true foam, the product developed by G?rlitz-based eco-softfibre is manufactured from wet white shavings. Founders Bernd Wacker and Wolfgang Coutandin have developed a method of processing wet white shavings into a soft and flexible sheet with almost identical physical properties to those of polyurethane and can be used wherever the plastic foam would be used. Manufactured in varying stiffnesses and densities from 40-80 kg/m3, in a process that currently has the capacity to complete a batch in around seven days, the company hopes to take this production time down to a single shift of around 10 hours. With sheets of between 2 cm and 5 cm thick at the moment, it is also planned to be able to produce mattress sized units up to 15 cm thickness; there is already one application for small yoga blocks at this thickness.
When used as an upholstery filler, recent tests have shown that 60,000 compression flex cycles were achievable, in comparison to 80,000 for PUR, equating to a 12-year lifespan for the leather-based product. Synthetic foams have been in existence for decades and, considering the timescales that are involved, 60,000 flex cycles is an impressive achievement for this newcomer.
Another popular end use is in decorative wall coverings. With every panel being unique, the structured design can be seen as a design contrast against a smooth wall. The design can also influence the surface where the 3D effect allows two functional advantages: first, that the surface area is increased, allowing more absorption of sound, and secondly for better diffusion of sound waves, resulting in better acoustics for the room.
The colour shade can also be selected as the material can be dyed during manufacture. It is also possible to print onto this material, adding extra colour detail or logos to the end product.
After being in production for only two years, eco-softfibre has already picked up a prestigious design award, gaining a special mention at the German Design awards for 2022 for excellent product design. The German Design Awards are the German Design Council’s most important prize and among the most recognised international design awards. eco-softfibre hopes this success will help make its work globally visible and give it access to a valuable international network of designers and companies.
In a presentation at the tenth FILK Leatherdays conference in May, Bernd Wacker explained that other tannage types could be used, as could offcuts and trimmings. The start-up’s current use of only wet white came about because the founders identified who was using wet white leathers and said: “If it’s good enough for Porsche, its good enough for us.”
Uniquely textured wall tiles, used as sound absorbers, are manufactured to be flame retardant to European Standard BS EN 13501 and certified by the Oeko-Tex leather standard.
Credit: eco-softfibre
