Bio-content and biodegradability are key in new Bridge of Weir technologies
Leather manufacturer Bridge of Weir, part of Scottish Leather Group, has announced two new tanning technologies.
The company has said the new technologies, BioTAN and FreeTAN, will help it make bio-based and biodegradable leathers a central part of its offering to customers in the automotive industry, including Aston Martin, McLaren, Jaguar Land Rover and Polestar.
It said it had spent four years developing the two new technologies, which it says will increase the bio-content and biodegradability of its leathers, removing fossil-fuel and heavy metal content from its processes and products.
BioTAN involves “progressively replacing” traditional components in tanning processes with bio-based materials. Bridge of Weir has said the bio-content in its BioTAN processes will be above 50%.
In leather produced with FreeTAN, the company will offer customers “a full replacement of existing tanning chemistry” with compostable technology. This will provide leather that is chrome-free, heavy metal-free, and aldehyde-free, with what Bridge of Weir has called “promising biodegradability properties”.
Group technical director, Simon Cook, said: “These technologies [are] a vital next step on our journey to increase the bio-based renewable-carbon content of our leather, further cementing our key role in supporting car makers’ environmental targets. We are further raising the bar for environmentally sustainable leather standards.”
He went on to say that “the leather of the future”, as far as Bridge of Weir is concerned, will have 100% bio-based content, will be completely chrome-free, heavy metal-free, aldehyde-free, and entirely biodegradable.
The raw hides used to make Bridge of Weir leather are always sourced from responsible local suppliers with 100% traceability, as certified by the UK Cattle Tracing Scheme, with the highest standards of animal welfare and without risk of deforestation. Bridge of Weir also publishes an independent lifecycle analysis (LCA) of the product and makes the lowest carbon leather for the sector, helping its customers reduce their carbon impact on the planet without offsetting.
