Zenda Leather scoops sustainability award
Uruguay-based leather supplier Zenda Leather has won the third annual Sage Award for its sustainable business practice.
The Sage Awards aim to recognize excellence in the home furnishings and bedding industries through commitment to sustainable business practice, social responsibility and profitable growth. Entries are evaluated by an independent panel of judges from the home furnishings and bedding industries, as well as from environmental and social organizations.
Zenda Leather’s award was sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) and Cargill's BiOH Polyols. Based in Montevideo, Uruguay, Zenda Leather was founded in 1890 and operates 13 plants and commercial offices in Argentina, Mexico, Germany, South Africa and Uruguay. It has a 4,600 square metre US distribution centre in Hickory, North Carolina. All of the company’s manufacturing facilities hold ISO 14001 management certifications regarding activities with an environmental impact.
Its Uruguay facility has the largest waste treatment plant of its kind in Latin America, an AHFA press release said, and Zenda treats about two million litres of water per day. Biological sludge from the Uruguay plant is used as organic fertilizer for local farmland. Rainwater accounts for 7% of the plant’s total water consumption, the press release said.
It went on to state that in 2008, Zenda eliminated its need to buy power from an outside source by opening the first private energy plant in Uruguay. Zenda has also developed eco-friendly products such as chrome-free leather that use only natural extracts in the tanning process.
