BMW interior award spells success for olive-leaf tanning process
26/06/2014
At the time of the announcement the automotive brand said the sustainability of the materials it has used in the model’s interior had helped it win the award, and leather has played its part.
“Leather surfaces are treated using environmentally sound methods,” BMW said. “The leather set aside for the interior of the BMW i3 is tanned in a natural process using extract of olive leaves.”
The company later confirmed to leatherbiz that the tanning process in question is Wetgreen, a tannage based on residues from the olive oil industry, principally the leaves of the olive trees, which are traditionally discarded and burned. It produces a leather with a shrinkage temperature of about 76 degrees Celsius; it’s suitable for retannage using vegetable or synthetic tanning material. No aluminium, chromium product or salt is necessary.
Wetgreen now operates as a brand in its own right and is based in Reutlingen, home of the former influential centre for leather education, the Lederinstitut Gerberschule, which closed in 2011.
Asked for confirmation of the source of the leather, a BMW spokesperson said: “I can confirm that this is the Wetgreen tanning system. Please understand that we do not comment on the supplier structure in detail.” However, further enquiries have revealed Rehau-based Hewa Leder as the tannery concerned.
Global Tannery of the Year in 2011, Heller-Leder, was one of the first to put Wetgreen into production, towards the end of 2011. Joint-managing director of Heller-Leder, Frank Fiedler, told leatherbiz on hearing the news: “We congratulate BMW, Hewa and Wetgreen for their success in the Automotive Interiors Expo Award 2014. Wetgreen was part of all developments for BMW in the i3 interior and we think it’s a very good thing for BMW to focus on new sustainable technologies for its interior designs.”
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