Further recognition for Scottish Leather Group
20/11/2012
An award for ‘Journey to Zero Waste’ was presented to the tanning group in recognition of its work in setting up its own thermal energy plant. Officially opened in 2010, the plant is the result of a £6 million investment with SLG providing all of the funding itself. It is an important part of the group’s aim of being self-sufficient in its energy use by 2015 and of a new initiative to market leather from all its facilities as Low Carbon Leather.
Solid waste from all SLG’s Scottish sites is being transported to the thermal energy plant to produce heat energy and oil from it. The heat energy is used to heat water for the tanning operations at its Bridge of Weir tannery and to power the driers on site. The oil, produced from skin grease from the fleshings the group produces, is highly in demand among manufacturers of industrial lubricant and biodiesel and SLG is currently selling most of the oil it produces, but it has the option of using this by-product onsite too.
On receiving the award, environmental director, Dr Warren Bowden, said: “Low Carbon Leather has become a central part of our marketing and future growth strategy, and this can only be delivered on the back of a successful journey to zero waste.”
In addition, the award for business leader of the year, sponsored by Diageo, was presented to Scottish Leather Group managing director, Iain McFadyen.
He said afterwards: “I lead a very talented team, and together we are taking our company from strength to strength and expanding the business both here in Scotland and internationally. It is our people and the unrivalled quality and environmental record of our product that leads globally-renowned customers such as Aston Martin, British Airways, FirstGroup, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo and many others to continue specifying our Low Carbon Leather.”
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