Leather can help address ‘alarming’ microplastics figures
The link between choosing leather and helping to address the problem of plastic in the ocean is clear, according to Zschimmer & Schwarz executive Gustavo Fink.
Mr Fink, who is the leather chemicals developer’s key account manager in China, picked up recently on an infographic on the subject that German consumer data company Statista has circulated.
The graphic says synthetic textiles’ estimated share of total microplastics in the world’s oceans is 35%, the highest of any source. Statista quoted the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as the source of the data. Car tyres represent the second-biggest source of microplastics with 25%, followed by dust from urban environments with 24%, road markings with 7%, marine coatings with 3.7%, personal-care products with 2% and plastic pellets with 0.3%.
Commenting on this information, Gustavo Fink said that choosing leather and other natural fibres, including cotton, in the many applications in which they present alternatives to plastic-based materials could contribute to “reducing these alarming figures”.
Head of business development and industry relations at TFL, Dr Dietrich Tegtmeyer, agreed and said there was a reason why leather merits no mention among the causes of microplastic pollution: “Leather fibres are biodegradable,” he said.
