German chemicals producer BASF AG has published a new 350-page book in English on leather manufacture, entitled ‘From collagen to leather’.

Written by Professor Günther Reich, a collagen scientist and former head of the Research Institute Leder- und Kunststoffbahnen (FILK) in Freiberg, Germany, with assistance from employees in the leather department at BASF, the book is said to cover the latest scientific research as well as a comprehensive survey of the existing literature, that could prove valuable in the development of new technologies and new products in the leather industry.

“Collagen is the basic ingredient of leather made from the skin of vertebrates. The aim of this book is to explain the chemical modifications collagen undergoes during the transformation into leather to scientists who wish to familiarise themselves with the manufacture of leather”, said Dr Tilman Taeger, head of innovation in the leather department at BASF.