Zeolite can be ‘gamechanger’ for the industry, Smit & Zoon says
Leather chemicals manufacturer Smit & Zoon has launched a new company, Nera, through which it will bring to market new tanning solutions.
It launched its initial offering under the Nera umbrella, Zeology, on October 6. It described Zeology as a “truly sustainable” tanning concept that does not compromise on leather performance. The new tanning system is based on the mineral zeolite and is chrome-free, heavy metal-free and aldehyde-free.
It hopes to use the system to make an impression on the wet white market, calling the semi-processed leather it produces Zeo White. Smit & Zoon has talked of this being the beginning “an era of truly sustainable leather manufacturing”. It says Zeology has the potential to be “a gamechanger for the leather industry”.
In an interview with World Leather at the time of the announcement, chief executive, Hans van Haarst, explained that the group does not make these claims lightly. “We’ve been testing for four years,” he said, “across all market segments. We’ve made upholstery leather for furniture, for aviation, for automotive, for garments, for footwear and for leathergoods. We’ve used different raw materials and we’ve conducted trials at 36 tanneries around the world.”
He said that tanneries that have signed up to test the new system have found that it makes pure white leather. Bright colours are then feasible after dyeing. Zeolite is porous so the uptake of chemicals is high. Leather made using Zeology also has a tight grain and high tear-strength and its biodegradability is another plus; tests have shown shavings to be almost as compostable as pure collagen, Mr van Haarst explained.
The Smit & Zoon chief executive said Zeology would help tanners achieve things that “are not possible with what’s on the market already for wet white”.
A full report covering the launch of Nera and Zeology, and of Mr van Haarst’s comments will appear in World Leather October-November, which goes to press in the coming weeks. Our conversation with Hans van Haarst will also feature on the World Leather Podcast.
