TERM PAPER

NAME OF THE STUDENT: Sonal jhunjhunwala

SEMESTER : 5

ROLL No. : 117

SUPERVISOR : Mr. Madan Mohan Dutta

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 15/11/2016

TITLE :

TERM PAPER TO BE SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

J.D. BIRLA INSTITUTE

AFFILIATED TO: JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY

Signature of the student Signature of the supervisor

DECLARATIONS
I declare the following:

The word count of the Term paper is 16331

The material contained in this Term paper is the end result of my own work. Due
acknowledgement has been given in the bibliography and references to all sources be
they printed, electronic or personal.

I am aware that my Term paper may be submitted to a plagiarism detection service where
it will be stored in a database and compared against work submitted from this institute or
from any other institutions.

In the event that there is a high degree of similarity in content detected, further
investigations may lead to disciplinary actions including the cancellation of my degree
according to Jadavpur University rules and regulations.

I declare that ethical issues have been considered, evaluated and appropriately addressed
in this research.

I agree to an entire electronic copy or sections of the dissertation to being placed on the e-
learning portal, if deemed appropriate, to allow future students the opportunity to see
examples of past dissertations and to be able to print and download copies if they so
desire.

SIGNED:
DATE:15/11/2016

NAME: Sonal jhunjhunwala

ROLL NO: 117

SUPERVISOR: Mr. Madan Mohan Dutta

 Acknowledgement

I would like to extend my appreciation to my menotor Mr. Madan Mohan Dutta who has
been there with unwavering support in the completion of my term paper. I would also
like to acknowledge the efforts of my family members and companions without whom
this term paper wouldn’t have been executed.

INDEX
 SERIAL NUMBER CONTENTS PAGE NUMBER
1. Introduction:
1.1 Problems
1.2 Objectives
1.3 History of the leather
industry
1.4 Government support
measures
1.5 SWOT analysis
1.6 Current scenario
2. Literature review
3. Results and discussion
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
6. Annexure

1. INTRODUCTION
The leather industry occupies a place of prominence in the Indian economy in view of its
massive potential for employment, growth and exports. There has been an increasing
emphasis on its planned development, aimed at optimum utilization of available raw
materials for maximizing the returns, particularly from exports. Exports are projected
reach USD 9.0 billion by 2020, from present level of USD 5.85 billion. India has trade
agreements with Japan, Korea, ASEAN, Chile etc., and is negotiating Free Trade
Agreement with European Union, Australia etc.
The exports of leather and leather products gained momentum during the past two
decades. There has been a phenomenal growth in exports from Rs.320 million in the year
1965-66 to Rs.69558 million in 1996-97. Indian leather industry today has attained well
merited recognition in international markets besides occupying a prominent place among
the top seven foreign exchange earners of the country.
The leather industry has undergone a dramatic transformation from a mere exporter of
raw materials in the sixties to that of value added finished products in the nineties. Policy
initiatives taken by the Government of India since 1973 have been instrumental to such a
transformation. In the wake of globalization of Indian economy supported with
liberalized economic and trade policies since 1991, the industry is poised for further
growth to achieve greater share in the global trade.
Apart from a significant foreign exchange earner, leather industry has tremendous
potential for employment generation. Direct and indirect employment of the industry is
around 2 million. The skilled and semi-skilled workers constitute nearly 50% of the total
work force.

1.1 PROBLEMS
Leather entrepreneurs are one of the largest foreign exchange earners of our country, who
unfailingly give a boost to the national economy and per capita income. Leather industry
provides more employment opportunities to the backward communities. Even so, the
industry is facing innumerable problems in the functional areas due to the banning of
slaughtering of animals in the name of sacrifice, and safeguarding the poor that has
resulted in the closure of many units in Tamil Nadu especially in Erode District. The goat
skins available in Erode are considered to be of the best quality in the world. There are 62
tannery units in Erode, out of which only 42 units are functional, and the rest are closed
by the pollution board due to some environmental problems. Besides, leather
entrepreneurs are facing a lot of problems in the areas of production, processing,
marketing, finance and personnel. This study attempted to identify the common problems
faced by the leather entrepreneurs. This study identifies the most important problems in
each functional area such as inadequate funds to construct water effluent treatment plants,
delay in payment by the buyers, slow process in sanctioning funds by bankers,
unauthorized labor absenteeism, poor quality of equipments and government restrictions.
Leather industry occupies a prominent place in the economy of the country. It is earning a
valuable foreign exchange about $17.85bn and providing employment to 2.5 million
persons especially to the backward community. Though the industry has expanded
rapidly in different parts of the country, most of the units are in a state of decline. In any
organization efficient management is inevitable. If there is a slight disorder, the whole
system collapses gradually. It becomes difficult to rebuild it. The leather entrepreneurs
are facing a number of problems both internally and externally. The new policies framed
by the Government of India directly affect the functional areas of leather industry. In the
name of holiness, some powers are trying to implement ban on slaughtering of animals
totally and stringent pollution norms are being adopted by the State and Central
Governments, which are directly affecting the growth and progress of leather industry.
This reflects in the closure of some units and creating unemployment problems especially
for semiliterate, illiterate and downtrodden communities.

1.2OBJECTIVES
• To provide an overview of the industry
• To highlight the government policies affecting leather industry
• To study the problems faced by this industry
• To suggest any improvements necessary in the existing leather industry
• To find the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of the industry

1.3 HISTORY OF LEATHER INDUSTRY

The use of animal hides for clothing and basic survival items can be traced back as far as
Early Man in the Paleolithic period. Cave paintings discovered in caves near Lerida in
Spain depict the use of leather clothing. Man hunted wild animals for food but removed
their hides and skins from the dead carcass and used them as crude tents, clothing and
footwear.
Early man realized that the skins rapidly putrefied and thus became useless. They needed
a way to preserve the hides. The earliest method was to stretch the hides and skins on the
ground to dry, rubbing them with fats and animals brains while they dried. This had a
limited preserving and softening action. Primitive man discovered also that the smoke of
wood fires could preserve hides and skins, as did treating them with an infusion of
tannin-containing barks, leaves, twigs and fruits of certain trees and plants. It seems
likely that man first discovered how to make leather when he found that animal skins left
lying on a wet forest floor became tanned naturally by chemicals released by decaying
leaves and vegetation.
Much later the use of earth salts containing alum as a tanning agent to produce soft white
leather was discovered. The alum leathers could be dyed with naturally occurring
dyestuffs in various plants. In Egyptian times leather was used for sandals, clothes,
gloves, buckets, bottles, shrouds for burying the dead and for military equipment. In
Egyptian tombs, wall paintings and artifacts depicted these uses of leather.
The Romans also used leather on a wide scale for footwear, clothes, and military
equipment including shields, saddles and harnesses. Excavation of Roman sites in Great
Britain has yielded large quantities of leather articles such as footwear and clothing. The
manufacture of leather was introduced to Britain by the Roman invaders and by religious
communities, whose monks were expert at making leather, especially vellum and
parchment for writing purposes.
The ancient Britons had many uses for leather from footwear, clothing and leather bags,
to articles of warfare. The hulls of the early boats, known as coracles, were also covered
in leather. Through the centuries leather manufacture expanded steadily and by mediaeval
times most towns and villages had a tannery, situated on the local stream or river, which
they used as a source of water for processing and as a source of power for their water
wheel driven machines. Many of these tanneries still exist, but in many towns the only
remaining evidence is in street names, like Tanner Street, Bark Street and Leather Lane.
The earliest crude leathers were made by first immersing the raw hides and skins in a
fermenting solution of organic matter in which bacteria grew and attacked the hides or
skins, resulting in a loosening of the hair or wool and some dissolving out of skin protein.
The hair or wool was then scraped off with primitive blunt stone or wooden scrapers and
fat or meat still adhering to the flesh side was removed in a similar manner.
Tanning, the conversion of pelt into leather, was done by dusting the raw stock with
ground up bark other organic matter and placing them in shallow pits or vats of tannin
solution. Further additions of ground bark, were made from time to time until the tannin
solution had penetrated right through the skin structure, taking up to two years for very
thick hides. The leather was then hung up for several days in open sheds. The dressing of
the leather involved paring or shaving it to a level thickness, coloring, treatment with oils
and greases, drying and final treatment of the grain surface with waxes, proteins such as
blood and egg albumins, and shellac to produce attractive surface finishes.
During the Middle Ages leather was used for all kinds of purposes such as: footwear,
clothes, leather bags, cases and trunks, leather bottles, saddler and harness, for the
upholstery of chairs, and couches, book binding and military uses. It was also used to
decorate coaches, sedan chairs and walls. The majority of the leather was tanned with oak
bark but soft clothing, gloving and footwear leathers were tanned with alum, oil, and
combinations of these two materials. With the discovery and introduction of basic
chemicals like lime and sulphuric acid, tanners gradually abandoned their traditional
methods and leather production slowly became a chemically based series of processes.
The growth of industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries created a demand for many
new kinds of leathers, e.g., belting leathers to drive the machines being introduced into
industry, special leathers for use in looms in the textile industry, leathers for use as
diaphragms and washers, leathers for use in transport and for furniture upholstery.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the invention of the motor car, modern roads, new
ranges of coal tar dyestuffs, the demand for softer, lightweight footwear with a
fashionable appearance, and a general rise in the standard of living created a demand for
soft, supple, colorful leather. The traditional vegetable tanned leather was too hard and
thick for these requirements and thus, the use of the salts of the metal chromium was
adopted and chrome tanning became the tannage for modern footwear and fashion
leathers. It produces soft, supple, beautiful and fine leathers, reflecting the 4 types:
In general, leather is sold in four forms:
• Full-grain leather refers to hides that have not been sanded, buffed, or snuffed (as
opposed to top-grain or corrected leather) to remove imperfections (or natural marks) on
the surface of the hide. The grain remains allowing the fiber strength and durability. The
grain also has breathability, resulting in less moisture from prolonged contact. Rather
than wearing out, it will develop a patina over time. High quality leather furniture and
footwear are often made from full-grain leather. Full-grain leathers are typically available
in two finish types: aniline and semi-aniline.
• Top-grain (Most common type used in upper end leather products) leather is the second-
highest quality. It's had the "split" layer separated away, making it thinner and more
pliable than full-grain. Its surface has been sanded and a finish coat added to the surface
which results in a colder, plastic feel with less breathability, and will not develop a
natural patina. It is typically less expensive and has greater resistance to stains than full-
grain leather, so long as the finish remains unbroken.
• Corrected-grain leather is any leather that has had an artificial grain applied to its
surface. The hides used to create corrected leather do not meet the standards for use in
creating vegetable-tanned or aniline leather. The imperfections are corrected or sanded
off, and an artificial grain impressed into the surface and dressed with stain or dyes. Most
corrected-grain leather is used to make pigmented leather as the solid pigment helps hide
the corrections or imperfections. Corrected grain leathers can mainly be bought as two
finish types: semi-aniline and pigmented.
• Split leather is leather created from the fibrous part of the hide left once the top-grain of
the rawhide has been separated from the hide. During the splitting operation, the top grain
and drop split are separated. The drop split can be further split (thickness allowing) into a
middle split and a flesh split. In very thick hides, the middle split can be separated into
multiple layers until the thickness prevents further splitting. Split leather then has an
artificial layer applied to the surface of the split and is embossed with a leather grain (by
cast leather). Splits are also used to create suede. The strongest suede’s are usually made
from grain splits (that have the grain completely removed) or from the flesh split that has
been shaved to the correct thickness. Suede is "fuzzy" on both sides. Manufacturers use a
variety of techniques to make suede from full-grain. Reversed suede is grained leather
that has been designed into the leather article with the grain facing away from the visible
surface. It is not considered to be a true form of suede.
Less-common leathers include:
• Buckskin or brained leather is a tanning process that uses animal brains or other fatty
materials to alter the leather. The resulting supple, suede-like hide is usually smoked
heavily to prevent it from rotting.
• Patent leather is leather that has been given a high-gloss finish. The original process was
developed in Newark, New Jersey, by inventor Seth Boyden in 1818. Patent leather
usually has a plastic coating.
• Shagreen is also known as stingray skin/leather. Applications used in furniture
production date as far back as the art deco period. The word "shagreen" originates from
France.
• Vachetta leather is used in the trimmings of luggage and handbags. The leather is left
untreated and is therefore susceptible to water and stains. Sunlight will cause the natural
leather to darken in shade, called a patina.
• Slink is leather made from the skin of unborn calves. It is particularly soft and is valued
for use in making gloves.
• Deerskin is tough leather, possibly due to the animal's adaptations to its thorny and
thicket-filled habitats. Deerskin has been used by many societies, including indigenous
Americans. Most modern deerskin is no longer procured from the wild, with deer farms
breeding the animals specifically for the purpose of their skins. Large quantities are still
tanned from wild deer hides in historic tanning towns such as Gloversville and Johnstown
in upstate New York. Deerskin is used in jackets and overcoats, martial arts equipment
such as kendo and bogu, as well as personal accessories such as handbags and wallets.
• Nubuck is top-grain cattle hide leather that has been sanded or buffed on the grain side,
or outside, to give a slight nap of short protein fibers, producing a velvet-like surface.
There are two other types of leather commonly used in specialty products, such as
briefcases, wallets, and luggage:
• Belting leather is full-grain leather that was originally used in driving pulley belts and
other machinery. It is found on the surface of briefcases, portfolios, and wallets, and can
be identified by its thick, firm feel and smooth finish. Belting leather is generally a
heavy-weight of full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather.
• Napa leather is chrome-tanned and is soft and supple. It is commonly found in wallets,
toiletry kits, and other personal leather goods.
The following are not "true" leathers, but contain leather material. Depending on
jurisdiction, they may still be labeled as "Genuine Leather":
• Bonded leather, or "reconstituted Leather", is composed of 90% to 100% leather fibers
(often scrap from leather tanneries or leather workshops) bonded together with latex
binders to create a look and feel similar to that of leather at a fraction of the cost. This
bonded leather is not as durable as other leathers and is recommended for use only if the
product will be used infrequently. Bonded leather upholstery is vinyl upholstery that
contains about 17% leather fiber in its backing material. The vinyl is stamped to give it a
leather-like texture. Bonded leather upholstery is durable and its manufacturing process is
more environmentally-friendly than leather production.
• By cast leather is split leather with a layer of polyurethane applied to the surface and
then embossed. By cast was originally made for the shoe industry and recently was
adopted by the furniture industry. The original formula created by Bayer was strong but
expensive. Most of the by cast used today is a very strong and durable product. The result
is a slightly stiffer product that is cheaper than top grain leather but has a much more
consistent texture and is easier to clean and maintain.
Today most leather is made of cattle skin but many exceptions exist. Lamb and deerskin
are used for soft leather in more expensive apparel. Deer and elk skin are widely used in
work gloves and indoor shoes. Pigskin is used in apparel and on seats of saddles. Buffalo,
goats, alligators, dogs, snakes, ostriches, kangaroos, oxen, and yaks may also be used for
leather.
Kangaroo skin is used to make items which need to be strong but flexible—it is the
material most commonly used in bullwhips. Kangaroo leather is favored by some
motorcyclists for use in motorcycle leather specifically because of its light weight and
abrasion resistance. Kangaroo leather is also used for falconry jesses and soccer footwear.
At different times in history, leather made from more exotic skins has been considered
desirable. For this reason certain species of snakes and crocodiles have been hunted.
Although originally raised for their feathers in the 19th century, ostriches are now more
popular for both meat and leather. There are different processes to produce different
finishes for many applications, i.e., upholstery, footwear, automotive products,
accessories, and clothing. Ostrich leather is currently used by many major fashion houses
such as Hermès, Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. Ostrich leather has a characteristic
"goose bump" look because of the large follicles from which the feathers grew.
In Thailand sting ray leather is used in wallets and belts. Sting ray leather is tough and
durable. The leather is often dyed black and covered with tiny round bumps in the natural
pattern of the back ridge of an animal. These bumps are then usually dyed white to
highlight the decoration. Sting ray leather is also used as grips on Chinese swords and
Japanese katanas.
1.4 GOVERNMENT SUPPORT MEASURES:
• Leather sector is one of the “Focus Sectors” under Foreign Trade Policy of the Govt. of
India
• Funding support provided towards export promotion & market development activities.
• Funding support provided towards technological up gradation and modernization of
production units, leather industry infrastructure strengthening, environmental safeguard
measures, Human Resource Development and other development projects.
• Entire leather sector is de-licensed facilitating for expansion on modern lines with state-
of-the-art machinery and equipments. 100% Foreign Direct Investment permitted through
automatic route.
• Import of specified machinery for use in leather and footwear industry allowed at a 5%
concessional import duty.
• Duty free import of raw hides and skins, wet blue chrome tanned leather, crust leather
and finished leather of all kinds including splits and sides thereof.
• Duty free import of specified critical inputs for manufacturers of leather garments and
other leather products including footwear under Duty Free Import Scheme (DFIS).
• Basic customs duty exempted on machinery or equipment for Effluent Treatment Plants
in leather industry.
• Duty neutralization/exemption/remission schemes are in place like Duty Drawback,
Advance Authorization, Duty Entitlement Passbook Scheme (DEPB), Duty Free Import
Authorization (DFIA) etc.,
• Gradual lowering of import tariff – current peak customs duty is 10%
• Simplified import/export procedures – quick customs clearances

1.5 SWOT Analysis of the Indian leather industry

Strengths:
• High Growth
• Ready availability of highly skilled and cheap manpower
• Large raw material base
• Policy initiatives taken by the Government
• Capability to assimilate new technologies and handle large projects
• Continuous emphasis on product development and design upgradation

Weaknesses:
• Lack of warehousing support from the government
• International price fluctuation
• Huge labor force resulting in high labor charges
• Lack of strong presence in the global fashion market
• Unawareness of international standards by many players

Opportunities:
• Rising potential in the domestic market
• Growing fashion consciousness globally
• Use of information technology and decision support software to help eliminate the
length of the production cycle for different products
• Use of e-commerce in direct marketing
Threats:
• Major part of the industry is unorganized
• Limited scope for mobilizing funds through private placements and public issues (many
businesses are family-owned)
• Difficulty in obtaining bank loans resulting in high cost of private borrowing
• Stricter international standards
• High competition from East European countries and other Asian countries
• Lack of communication facilities and skills

1.6 CURRENT SCENARIO

Leather is one of the most widely traded commodities globally. The growth in demand for
leather is driven by the fashion industry, especially footwear. Apart from this, furniture
and interior design industries, as well as the automotive industry also demand leather. The
leather industry has a place of prominence in the Indian economy due to substantial
export earnings and growth, besides the fact that it employs 2.5 million people. India is
the fifth-largest exporter of leather goods and accessories in the world.
India’s leather industry has grown drastically, transforming from a mere raw material
supplier to a value-added product exporter. Today, around 50 per cent of India’s leather
business comes from international trade.
 At 45.3 per cent, footwear accounted for the lion’s share of leather exports,
followed by leather goods with 22.2 per cent, and finished leather with 20.6 per
cent share in April-Jan 2015.In 2014–15 (up to January 2015), footwear recorded
the maximum increase in exports, followed by saddlery and harness, and leather
goods
 During 2014–15 (up to January 2015), the major markets for Indian leather
products were Germany (12.6 per cent), the US (11.5 per cent), the UK (11.5 per
cent), Italy (7.8 per cent), Hong Kong (6.5 per cent), France (5.7 per cent), Spain
(5.4 per cent), the UAE (4.2 per cent), the Netherlands (3.6 per cent) and China
(3.0 per cent).

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

Meenu tiwari and Poonam pillai (2004) have investigated on under what conditions can
small suppliers and small firm dominated industries comply with stringent standards
without compromising their trade competitiveness? This was the core topic of a
controversial debate where the emergence of environmental standards as a new variable
in global trade and market access.
This paper drew attention on Indian leather industry’s effective compliance with Germans
ban on the use of AZO dyes and PCPs to argue that the supposed trade-off between
environmental compliance and export competitiveness is not inevitable. The paper
examines how and why the state got involved in ways that generated – and sustained – a
process of negotiated collective action and broad-based environmental compliance by a
small-firm dominated sector.
Authors makes an empirical contribution to the emerging literature on global standards
and export competitiveness by analyzing how a labor-intensive developing-country
industry (Indian leather goods) complied with a developed-country environmental
standard that affected trade and market access (German regulations banning two
commonly used leather chemicals, PCPs and Azo dyes in the 1990s).
The finding of the paper is that though the standards did add to the firms costs the
presumed compromise between compliance and export competitiveness did not
materialize. Since germany imposed the regulations the compliance was widespread and
even the small firms held to the standards and the overall demand of the exports
increased. The paper researched that india took care of its PCP and AZO dye problem
which made India a model and competitor countries like china made reports on the
successful adjustment of India. Most importantly the adjustment process resulted in
significant technical transfer from the standard-imposing country (Germany) to India and
led to the creation of new, internationally certified testing capabilities in India that did not
exist before. The creation in India of Asia’s first German-funded ISO 17025-certified
leather testing and certification laboratories in 2002 constitutes important spillovers for
the industry as a whole that go well beyond the segments of the industry originally
affected by the regulations.
The paper’s central argument is that this adjustment occurred in part due to three reasons:
the unusual way in which the state got involved in the institutionalization of the global
standard domestically; the prior existence of a rich base of public and private support
institutions in the leather sector that were critical to diffusing the new standards in ways
that kept costs low; and the sequence in which adjustment occurred that contributed
significantly to learning among the key players – exporters, suppliers, their associations
and government agencies – about how to cope with stringent trade-related environmental
(safety) standards.
The rest of the paper explores these themes. Section two frames the debates about the
dilemmas of environmental compliance. Section three examines the crisis and the
institutional response of the Indian leather sector and the state to it. Section four
examines issues of institutional porosity and the institutional linkages that led to
surprisingly effective compliance, and the final section concludes.
Going past standard depictions of the accepted exchange offs between ecological
consistence and fare intensity, the writing on worldwide norms has as of late investigated
the political and institutional conditions under which little firms and providers can agree
to the undeniably stringent worldwide principles that are progressively getting to be
connected with exchange, without essentially undermining their aggressiveness. This
study adds to this rising writing. A critical subject that has developed in the late writing
on principles is that powerful consistence with the developing guidelines calls for new
institutional types of administration or 'approach systems' that traverse or cut crosswise
over nearby, micropolitical forms and more extensive worldwide procedures of which
they are a section and which they all the while constitute (see for instance, Gereffi and
Mayer 2004, Schmitz 2004 p 14-15 and Messner 2004). Observationally, this view has
been outlined by proof drawn essentially from the critical part that worldwide purchasers,
or lead firms at the head of intense worldwide esteem chains, or key business affiliations
play in arranging mind boggling arrangement organizes that help provider firms conform
to worldwide standards, including private sets of accepted rules and frameworks of social
duty. This paper augments the civil argument by giving bits of knowledge about how and
under what conditions the state and its offices can assume a basic part in constituting the
institutional systems that can help little providers agree to stringent worldwide models—
in this example by specifically and by implication bringing down the cost of consistence.
The paper analyzed a situation where a sprawling, work concentrated, and little firm
commanded area (calfskin in India) prevailing with regards to reacting generally
adequately to two stringent exchange related bans on dangerous chemicals (PCPs and
Azo colors) forced on it by its biggest purchaser – Germany. The paper observed that
wide based consistence by India's cowhide industry to the bans was the outcome in part
of a profound procedure of arranged aggregate activity in which the Indian state – and not
simply lead firms, for example, huge Indian exporters and their worldwide purchasers –
assumed a key part. As opposed to the ambiguities that frequently encompass successful
state activity around the earth (e.g., see O'Rourke 2002), the state not just assumed a
deliberative part in helping firms change in accordance with the emergencies yet
exhibited relative self-rule by once in a while acting against the enthusiasm of capable
sections of the cowhide chain- - particularly for this situation, the expansive substance
input makers and producers of the banned colors and additive. Two components were
basic to the procedures of transaction and aggregate activity through which the calfskin
business effectively accomplished consistence. Initial, a high level of porosity and
cooperation between the administration's key research organizations in the calfskin area
and the business' most conspicuous fare affiliation, CLE, which was a semi open
statutory body with unique access to the state, secured the focal government's endeavors
inside the down to earth worries of nearby firms. These establishments, CLE, CLRI and
other bolster organizations had themselves been made amid an earlier time of fast
development and approach prompted change of the cowhide business into an esteem
included exporter in the 1980s (see Pillai 2000, UNDP 1999, Tewari 2001). These intense
semi metro and industry foundations that were additionally at the same time part of the
state, served as limit spreading over associations and 'circulated power focuses' outside
government that both, activated state activity, and in addition gave essential checks to it.
The second key choice by the administration was to structure its requirement of the new
directions uniquely in contrast to conventional ways to deal with checking and
authorization. By verifiably focusing on expansive firms in the information business
(concoction and color creators), as opposed to the numerous little firms in the client
business (tanneries), and by banning the generation of the advised chemicals, as opposed
to just checking their utilization in the last products part, the state changed the element of
authorization and usage. Instead of the state's line offices checking client firms, the
information makers – the expansive and medium estimated synthetic organizations who
were currently compelled to create elective chemicals turned into the essential
"implementers" and diffusers of the bans. This changed the institutional requests on
desperate ecological organizations, and in both cases the structure of the business, past
arrangements of the legislature, for example, reservation, and the way of the
administration's way to deal with the new guidelines forced an arrangement of weights on
the area's lead input suppliers and exporters to overhaul and bring along the division's
numerous little leather experts into consistence with the universal and local guidelines.
Be that as it may, while the Indian government's administrative activities (forcing the
bans) were imperative in changing the path in which the weights of the German norms
streamed over the cowhide esteem chain, the bans without anyone else's input were
deficient to guarantee wide based consistence in a sprawling, little firm overwhelmed
division. Without the earlier presence of a broad system of provincially installed open and
semi open bolster organizations and testing labs that diffused the weights of consistence
to the littlest firms, the impact of these bans may likely have stayed a great deal more
divided and incomplete. Along these lines, the locale's vast exporters and little firms were
fruitful in conforming to exchange related natural measures not because of any
programmed consequence of the market train that the exchange related boycott forced on
exporters, nor because of any conventional charge and control device of the state. They
succeeded in light of the fact that the activities of the different performing artists and state
foundations included really brought down the cost of change, created progressing
realizing, which the earlier nearness of a system of neighborhood and local offices – open
and private – diffused generally over the esteem chain. At last, the paper recommends
that standard-setting by governments (country states) produces entirely extraordinary
weights and redesigning ways for provider firms than when vast worldwide purchasers or
individual organizations set norms, for example, in private implicit rules. Standard setting
by country states offers more noteworthy political space for transaction and help with
ways that can overflow all the more generally past those initially affected. Private
implicit rules are all the more firm-particular as far as their overhauling impacts, with
their achieve stretching out to the prompt production network of the exporters influenced
by the private codes or standards. For the situation analyzed here, reciprocal
arrangements between the standard-forcing government and the purchaser governments
not just encouraged the exchange of basic innovation, assets and framework from the
standard-setting nation to the provider nation in ways that profited the area all in all and
settled a portion of the expenses to the provider nation of compliance. That it is the
Ministry of Commerce, which regularly restricts stringent ecological enactment (and not
fundamentally the natural service) that assumed a focal part in planning the Indian
reaction to the German bans was basic to empowering this reciprocal arrangement. The
Ministry of Commerce's own focal mission - of advancing exchange and fares - was in
question, and empowering wide based consistence got to be as much a piece of protecting
its own particular authenticity as of reacting to political weights from capable exporters at
the highest point of the calfskin esteem chain. Be that as it may, consistence was not
simply state-driven; it was as a mix aggregate activity, open duties, and in addition
showcase motivations, where the earlier presence of a locally implanted and differing
system of establishments was basic to interpreting the endeavors of the state, sections of
the business and market weights into an occasionally peevish, yet practical reason for
element aggregate activity. Sections of the state, market and industry accordingly always
re-imagined and retained key parts not as a rule connected with their standard orders, in
ways that viably systematized the procedure of natural consistence in this occasion.

Amit Verma, Hukum Singh Pal, Rachna Singh and sanjeev agarwal(2011), investigated
on potential of alkaline protease isolated from thermoactinomyces sp. RM4 as an
alternative to convential chemicals in leather industry dehairing process. They dealt with
Soluble proteases which was found to be a wide application in a few mechanical
procedures, for example, clothing cleansers, protein recuperation or solubilization, prion
debasement, meat tenderizations, in bating of covers up and skins in cowhide enterprises.
The ordinary strategies in calfskin preparing include the utilization of sulfide, lime and
different chemicals, making ecological contamination and wellbeing risks. Subsequently,
for ecological reasons, the bio-treatment of cowhide utilizing an enzymatic approach is
best as it offers a few focal points, e.g. simple control, speed and waste diminishment, in
this manner being eco-friendly. In present study, a bacterial seclude Thermoactinomyces
sp. RM4, confined from soil test by spread plating technique on supplement agar (pH 8)
at 60.0°C. The ideal pH and temperature of the catalyst disengaged from
Thermoactinomyces sp. RM4 was observed to be 10.0 and 80.0°C, individually and holds
45% of its action at 90°C for 3 hours. This detaches Thermoactinomyces sp. RM4
demonstrates great dehairing of cover up inside short hatching time, in place hair
recuperation and clean pelt.
Leather industry adds to one of the major mechanical contamination issues confronted by
the nation, and the contamination bringing on chemicals emerge principally from the pre-
tanning procedures of preparing leather. With a specific end goal to defeat the risks
brought about by the tannery effluents, utilization of proteins as a reasonable option has
been turned to in pre-tanning operations, for example, splashing, and dehairing, bating,
degreasing and offal treatment. Other than being costly and especially offensive to
complete, an unequivocally dirtying emanating is created. The other option to this
procedure is catalyst helped de-hairing. Protein helped de-hairing is especially
conceivable if proteolytic compounds can be found that are steady and dynamic under the
antacid states of tanning.
The authors concluded that leather handling is a standout amongst the most vital
mechanical exercises. Dehairing of stows away is an imperative and unavoidable stride
required in the preparing of cowhide in the tanneries. The customary lime sulfide strategy
utilized for this reason makes contamination dangers (Chandrasekaran et al., 1985).
Subsequently an endeavor to minimize the utilization of lime sulfide in the tanneries and
to build up an eco-friendly technique for dehairing was made in present studies. Finish
dehairing of the skin was accomplished with no antagonistic impact on the shroud which
was acquired as perfect and white with in place hairs recuperation which can be used for
other business purposes like brush making. The tanneries in future will utilize a blend of
substance and enzymatic procedures. The potential for utilization of microbial proteins in
cowhide preparing lies fundamentally in territories in which contamination creating
chemicals, for example, sodium sulfide, lime and solvents are being utilized and
transformation of waste items into conceivably saleable by-items is conceivable. Future
may witness ecolabelled calfskin/cowhide items developing as specialty items, and the
experience picked up by the Indian calfskin industry around there might extraordinarily
help India to rise as a worldwide pioneer in calfskin industry (Kamini et. al. 1998).
For statistical analysis, a standard deviation for each experimental result was calculated
using the Excel Spreadsheets available in the Microsoft Excel and graphs were prepared
using ORIGIN software Version 6.

Another article on the protease enzyme as an eco-friendly alternative for leather industry
was done by C.Arunachalam and K.Saritha (2009). They reported there a novel
keratinase from Bacillus subtilis that has the potential to replace sodium sulfide in the
dehairing process of leather industry. The Protease enzyme produced at laboratory
condition has been characterized for its rate of enzyme production, and the environmental
influencing factors such as pH and temperature on the activity of the enzyme has also
been evaluated. The enzyme produced in pilot scale has been subjected to in vitro
(spectrophotometrically) as well as in vivo assay (on wet goat skin for hair removal). The
organism grown in the Dye’s synthetic medium at 5.3mg/ml of cell dry weight produced
548 U/ml of protease. The in vitro enzyme activity increased with temperature within a
range of 25oC to 35oC and found maximum at 45 oC and at pH 11. An index of dehairing
comparable to the use of conventional sodium sulfide method was achieved in 7 h of its
application on wet goat skin.

The leather industry causes severe environmental pollution owing to the use of various
chemicals and the release of a variety of detrimental materials. In leather processing, the
first step in the beam house is to remove hairs from hides and skins. Tanneries are
constantly concerned with the obnoxious odor and the pollution caused by the extremely
toxic sodium sulfide used in the dehairing process. The conventional dehairing method
involves the use of high proportions of lime and sulfide, which contributes to 80– 90% of
the total pollution load in the leather industry and generates noxious gases as well as solid
wastes. Worldwide, it is estimated that 315 million bovine leathers are produced per year.
Considering the waste treatment cost of $0.30 per m2 of leather produced, more than $1
million is spent per day to treat the waste from tanneries around the world. Enzymatic
unhairing accomplished by proteolytic enzymes is of great commercial importance
contributing to more than 40% of the world’s commercially produced enzymes. The
enzymes cause loosening of the hair, without damaging the fibrous collagen of dermis.
The advantages of enzymatic dehairing are as follows: 1) significant reduction or even
complete elimination of the use of sodium sulfide, 2) total recovery of hair resulting good
quality with good saleable value, and 3) creation of an ecologically conducive
atmosphere for the workers. Enzyme treated leather has shown better strength properties
and greater surface area. However, the use of enzymes in leather manufacturing process
particularly for unhairing has not been accepted by the industry to the desired level. This
is mainly because: a) enzymes are not effective enough to eliminate the sulfide
completely, b) there is an apprehension that the enzymes assisted process needs stringent
process control, and c) the cost of enzymes is not encouraging. Hence, the present work
has focused on screening for proteolytic enzyme from a suitable microorganism, which is
economically viable and effective enough to eliminate the sulfide completely. The
enzyme was then in a pilot scale following the same procedure and the enzyme was
applied on skins for assessing the unhairing efficacy. It could be seen from the results that
even with the minimum amount of enzyme fairly good degree of hair loosening could be
achieved (Table 1). The potential use of protease enzymes in leather processing
eliminates the pollution causing chemicals such as sodium, lime and solvents. Future
might witness ecolabelled leather products emerging as niche products by the use of
protease enzyme technology and the experience gained by the Indian leather industry in
this area might greatly help to emerge as a global leader. Our investigation of a novel
keratinase from Bacillus subtilis has the potential to replace sodium sulfide in the
dehairing process.

N.R. Kamini, C.Hemachander, J.Geraldine Sandana Mala and R.Puvanakrishnan threw

light on the pollution from the pre tanning process in an article.
They said that leather industry contributes to one of the major industrial pollution
problems which the country is facing. So in order to overcome the hazardous wastes
caused by the tannery effluents use of enzymes as a viable alternative has been restored to
in pre-tanning operations. This review focused on the use of microbial enzymes as an
alternate technology to the conventional methods, and highlighted the importance of
these enzymes in minimizing the pollution loads.
In the report they have observed that the generation of pollution is significantly high in
the pre tanning operation than the post-tanning operations. The chemicals which are
mainly responsible for pollution are lime, sodium sulphide and caustic soda apart from
common salt and degreasing chemicals. They also stated that one third of the total
pollution was generated during the dehairing process. The wastes generated were let out
in drains and which emptied itself into sewage and caused hazards to those who used this
water. There are many tanneries which were forced to close down when they did not
agree to meet the standards laid down. In a short span of time the Indian leather industry
faced many problems like the German ban on PCPs and AZO dyes along with
government standards for environmental regulation. Now the tanners are revamping there
ways and finding an eco-friendly way.
The raw hide has to undergo a series of chemical treatments before it turns into flattering
leather. For all these steps the chemicals used are very toxic in nature. Due to these pre
tanning operations the processing industry is considered to be one of the most hazardous
ones to the environment.
Table 2 shows the various enzymes produced by various microorganisms used in the
leather industry. Apart from bacterial and fungal proteases, specific proteases like
keratinases are known. Some of the important lipase producing microorganisms used in
degreasing are shown in table 2. Lipases are used in:
 In the oil and fat industry
 In detergent compositions
 For fatty acid production
 In degreasing of hides and skins.
Soaking is the first operation in the tannery where the hides and skins are cleaned and
softened in water. Soaking is usually carried out using a combination of proteolytic
enzymes that are optimally active in the neutral or alkaline ph range.
Dehairing is one of the main operations in the beam house. Five methods of dehairing are
generally adopted:
 Clipping
 Scalding
 Chemical
 Sweating
 Enzymatic.
And of these the most practiced one is chemical process which contains a lot of
disadvantages which one cannot afford to ignore. Enzymatic dehairing is suggested by
the authors as an environmentally friendly alternative to the chemical process and thus it
has a lot of advantages attached to it. Three methods are commonly used in the dehairing
process:
 Paint
 Dip
 Spray
Of late dehairing by drumming is being practiced and industrially this should be feasible.
Batting is a very vital process where enzymes have been successfully employed for
centuries now. The main objective of batting is to remove some of the non leather
forming materials.
Degreasing is an essential step in the production of glove and clothing leather. In this
process there is a removal of excess natural fats from greasy skins, especially woolly
skins. Enzymatic greasing is suggested as a viable alternative to combat the pollution
problems caused by the use of solvents and detergents. Lipases which are projected as
alternatives catalyze the breakdown of fats and can be obtained from animal, microbial
and plant sources.
Enzymes can be used in the treatment of fleshings and effluents from tannery processes.
When raw hides are processed to leather a number of by products are produced such as
native hide material, pelt waste and tanned material.
The conclusions of the authors were that in future the tanneries will use a combination of
chemical and enzymatic processes.the potential lies mainly in areas which in which
pollution causing chemicals are being used and conversion of waste products into
potentially saleable byproducts is possible and this might help the Indian leather industry
to emerge as a global leader.

H. Ozgunay, S. Colak, M.M.Mutlu, F.Akyuz (2007), worked on the characterization of

leather industry wastes. In this research from strong squanders turning out from different
process ventures amid assembling of piece of clothing sheep skins, shoe upper goat skins,
shoe upper covers up and sole cowhides have been gathered. These specimens have been
ordered among themselves and their attributes have been dictated by different compound
examination. By portrayal of strong squanders which state issues for the earth and
expenses for treatment; information have been acquired which can be utilized for new
administration and assessment strategies.
The primary point of the cowhide business, which assumes a critical part in today's
worldwide economy, is to change creature conceals/skins into a physically and
synthetically stable material and in this manner to get items for addressing different
necessities of individuals. Be that as it may, the cowhide business has regularly been
connected with high contamination because of the awful stench, natural squanders and
high water utilization brought about amid customary assembling forms. Distinctive types
of waste in quality and amount, which rise up out of primitive to cutting edge all around
the globe, impact sly affect the environment. Although the portrayal of strong squanders
from the tanning business is very much recorded, our study investi-doors the properties of
the strong squanders created from various sorts of cowhide – delivering tanneries, i.e.
article of clothing, shoe upper, sole, and so forth. In this bearing, in this exploration a
diagram of calfskin handling is specified and squanders leaving different production lines
and process steps are described with the point of acquiring information for assessing
them. As indicated by the information got from the investigations of a few specialists,
roughly 200 kg of cowhide is manufactured from 1 tone of wet-salted cover up [1-3].
This sum constitutes around 20% of rawhide weight. More than 600 kg of strong waste is
created amid the change of rawhide into calfskin. That is to state, strong squanders
containing protein and fat that constitute more than 60% of crude shroud weight are
arranged to the earth by cowhide processing plants without swinging them to great utilize
(Table 3).
It is possible to divide leather industry processes of transforming rawhide into leather into
four main stages:
i. Beamhouse processes
ii. Tanning Processes
iii. Post-Tanning Processes
iv. Finishing Processes
Solid wastes generated by the leather industry in these stages of processes may be
classified as follows:
i. wastes from untanned hides/skins (trimmings, flesh- ing wastes)
ii. wastes from tanned leather (shaving wastes, buffing dust)
iii. wastes from dyed and finished leather (trimmings from leather)
Data obtained from research reveals that 80% of solid wastes are generated during pre-
tanning processes, while 20% of the wastes are caused by post-tanning processes.
]. Due to the bad smell they produce during their pu- trefaction and their harmful
chemical content, untanned hide/skin wastes have negative effects on the soil and/or
water resources of the environment. The most significant approach in preventing environ-
mental pollution is the idea that prevention is better than reuse, reuse is better than
recycling, and recycling is better than disposing of the wastes. Solid wastes create a
major problem for leather industry in terms of both their variety and quantity. a high
amount of reusable waste is generated in the leather industry. It is possible to recycle
these products and even use them as raw materials for different industries. In this study,
wastes from different companies have been analyzed with various chemical and
instrumental analysis methods, and their characteristics have been defined. This data is
thought to be useful in terms of preventing both environmental pollution and waste of
resources by putting solid wastes into good use as secondary raw material in different
industries rather than transferring them to disposal areas.
The method used by the authors are randomly selected among piles in 2 different leather
factories manufacturing products for each leather type(table-4).
According to the results of water content determination in solid waste, water content was
found to be 45-59% in pre-fleshing waste, 57-83% in lime fleshing waste, 45-66% in
shaving waste, 7-14% in buffing waste, and 6-9% in leather wastes. The obtained data
reveal that fleshing and shaving wastes include higher amounts of water in comparison to
other waste types. This result is due to the fact that fleshing and shaving wastes are
generated during leather process steps called beamhouse processes, in which leathers are
processed in watery environments. It has been observed that solid wastes show
similarities in parallel with the process stages disclosing the ph values of solid wastes,
and the ph values at which these processes are carried out; and it was found that liming
fleshing waste has the highest ph value, since the liming process is done at around ph 11-
12. Vast amounts of fat in hides are removed before tanning by applying a degreasing
process. it has been observed that pre-fleshing and lime fleshing wastes from the
processes before de- greasing include higher amounts of fat compared to other waste
samples (40-70%).The fat obtained from lime fleshing waste is generally re- garded to be
of low quality due to its dirty colour and bad smell resulting from sulphide contact. it is
remarkable that salt contents of shaving wastes from all skin types are higher than the
average values of other samples, and this difference is thought to stem from the high rate
of alkali salts used especially in basification at the end of the chrome tanning process;
since this parallelism detected in shaving wastes is not observed in the shaving wastes
from sole leather treated with vegetable tanning process. The results obtained from
nitrogen determination analysis conducted with the Kjeldahl method in waste samples
have revealed that fleshing wastes with 6-34% nitrogen have the lowest amount of
nitrogen, and there- fore the minimum protein content. Shaving wastes include the
highest amount of nitrogen (64%).The highest amount of sulphide was detected in
sheepskins (439 ppm), because these raw materials are generally used in production of
garment-like soft leather types and in order to obtain required properties, intensive liming
and unhairing is applied. Thermal treatment of leather scrap must be justified not only by
its high calorific value, but by taking into account as much as possible of the con-
sequences of it, namely (i) pollutants and their levels in the released gasses; (ii)
characteristics of the ashes and factors that influence changes in the chromium oxidation
state during the burning process as well as in some of the further ash treatment options.
Some Ion amounts detected in solid wastes generated by the leather industry are
introduced in the table 5. As displayed in the table, chrome was detected to be high in
waste samples which are treated with chrome in the tanning process
About 90% of the hides in the world are still tanned with chrome, because other tanning
materials fail to give the leather a high hydrothermal stability and other use properties
that chrome provides.
Calfskin items are fabricated utilizing different procedures and chemicals which may
demonstrate varieties depending on the sought the cowhide qualities. Considering this
specific reality about the calfskin business, we have completed this study on the strong
squanders of various tanneries that deliver cowhide for various purposes and hence utilize
different procedures and chemicals. The consequences of this study have uncovered that
the calfskin business generates squander with various qualities as per the procedure
venture at which it is produced. The acquired information unmistakably uncovers that the
substance (both protein and fat) of all the fleshing, shaving and trimming squanders, and
so on, which constitute an incredible measure of the produced squanders when all is said
in done, might be reused in other diverse fields for monetary purposes. For instance,
prefleshing squanders can be utilized as a part of the generation of fatliquoring oils and
biodiesel, limed fleshings can be utilized as a part of creation of methane gas, oil and
protein recuperation and manure in the wake of fertilizing the soil, shaving squanders can
be utilized as a part of generation of calfskin board or retanning operator and gelatine
after compound/antacid processing furthermore shavings and trimmings can be utilized as
a part of the creation of enacted carbon, and so forth. Therefore, keeping in mind the end
goal to decide the most appropriate technique for reusing and discarding these squanders,
it is exceedingly imperative to secure the data concerning the procedure ventures, amid
which these squanders are generated, the objective item craved to be delivered through
these procedures, and the attributes of squanders depengouge on these variables.

Sampa mitra did a study on the health conditions of child workers in a small scale leather
industry in Kolkata.
The study was on Forty male kids matured somewhere around seven and 14 years,
working in little scale calfskin work-shops in a ghetto territory in Calcutta were
concentrated on, alongside a control gathering of 40 non-working male offspring of a
similar age assemble, same region, and the same financial class. Three particular medical
issues namely, low back and lower leg torment, discombobulating, and shivering torment
in the hands were found in an altogether higher extent in the working kids. For stature,
weight, wholesome state, and general bleakness design, however there were no
noteworthy contrasts between the two gatherings. Conceivably the specific sitting stance
of the tyke laborers for long working hours and the substance way of the paste and
solvents utilized as a part of this industry were in charge of the signs in the working
youngsters. The fundamental goals of the study were:
(1) to contemplate the wellbeing state and horribleness designs, alongside the living and
working states of the youngsters working in these cowhide workshops;
(2) to look at the wellbeing states of the working chil-dren with those of the kids not at
work, living in a similar situation, and having a place with the same financial class; and
(3) to recognize a particular wellbeing dangers to the kids in this specific industry.
The primary period of the study involved rehashed visits to that zone, making contacts
with the neighborhood individuals, especially the shop proprietors, to clarify what was
the point of the study.The meeting of the kids was done on a preformed plan. A general
clinical examination with measuring tape, convenient measuring machine, light, and
stethoscope was completed for each tyke.

AGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE CHILD WORKERS

In general, 52-5% were in the age group seven to 10 years and 47-5% were in the older
group of 11 to 14 years. The maximum number (40%) were nine to 10 years of age.

WORKING HOURS
Usually the work started at 9:00 am (varying between 8:00 and 10:00 AM) and and
continued until 10:00 pm (9:00-11:00 pm). During a good business season, work
continued even until mid- night. Table 6 shows that 55% of the children worked for 13-14
hours a day and in all 85% worked for more than 10 hours a day. A few chil- dren (5%)
worked on a part time basis (five to seven hours a day).

WAGES
The working children were usually considered as trainee workers and accordingly their
wages were much lower than those of the adult workers. Their usual wages ranged from
five to 40 Rupees per week.

LVING ENVIRONMENT
Some 95% of the study children and all of the control children lived in that particular
slum so the living environments of both of the groups were identical.
An attempt was made to assess the health condi- tions of the children and to detect any
disease or ailment affecting any organ or system of the body, but no statistically
significant difference was found between the two groups regarding the liver and ali-
mentary system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and skin, although the overall
prevalence of morbidity was of a higher order in the working chil- dren. Interestingly, a
few specific health problems involving the skeletal and the nervous system were found in
the working children in a proportion that was statistically significant, even within such a
small sample size (table 7).

Comparative Advantage of Leather Industry in Pakistan with Selected Asian Economies:

Sadaf Shahab and Muhammad Tariq Mahmood in their research analyzed the trade
specialization in the leather products between some selected Asian economies, with
particular focus on Pakistan, using a measure of Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA
Balasa Index). The analysis shows that Pakistan has a high comparative advantage in
leather products over all the selected economies during the period of study and highlights
the problems faced by the leather industry and identifies some immediate policy action to
be taken to improve the performance of the leather industry in the light of evidence.
It revealed that Asian economies such as China and India are enjoying a notable growth
in changing circumstances across the world. Pakistan also has great potential for higher
growth however the political threats, socio economic environment and lack of updated
technologies are obstruction in the way of progress. Some sectors of Pakistan economy
have shown a good performance in terms of production and exports. Leather industry,
including leather products, is the second largest export earning sector after textiles.
Currently, Pakistan's leather industry is contributing significantly to the national exports
and a major foreign exchange earners. About ninety percent of its products are exported
in finished form. Comparative advantage is the term used to describe the tendency for
countries to export those commodities that they are relatively adroit at producing, vis-à-
vis the rest of the world.
In the years 2006 and 2009, Pakistan’s leather products export value grew by 22.34%
and 7.38% respectively. However, in the same years, china’s leather products exports
growth rate increased by 10.95% and 13.27% whereas India witnessed a 8.13% and
12.44% growth rates respectively in 2006 and 2009. Pakistan’s leather products exports
showed negative and positive growth in value from 2002 to 2009 with similar trend in
India and China. Pakistan’s leather products exports showed highest growth of 22.34% in
2007 . The estimations for the years 2002 to 2009 provide evidence on the movement in
the pattern of revealed comparative advantage for Pakistan, China, India and Iran.
Pakistan has an increasing movement in comparative advantage in Leather industry. The
revealed comparative advantage index is greater than unity (RCA>1) for Pakistan’s
leather industry and nearly stable over the years. It indicates that Pakistan leather industry
has significant potential for growth.
There is an immediate need for establishment of a Leather Board in Pakistan which
should operate as an independent body and funded by the government from export
development fund. Import of machinery and equipment for environmental projects in
tanneries should also be allow free from customs duty, sales tax and income tax. The
present policy does not provide provision for export of such goods in original and
unprocessed form due to cancellation of export order or changes in design/style of the
order. In order to give a boost to this major contributor of the national economy, imported
tanning machinery and other complimentary goods be given some exemption. Now with
new labor laws and regulations, this industry may promise again. Exchange rate is
another area which needs stability; exporters should be given due relief as and when
exchange rate falls.

Characterization and utilisation of buffing dust generated by the leather industry

G. Sekaran, K.A. Shanmugasundaram and M. Mariappan, in their research (Received

19 December 1997; revised 10 April 1998; accepted 11 April 1998) stated that the
tanning industry is one of the most highly polluting and growth-oriented industries in
India. There are about 3000 leather manufacturing industries in India with processing
capacities of 600 000 ton per year. Tamilnadu, WestBengal and Uttar Pradesh are the
states in India having major clusters of tanneries. The solid wastes generated can be
broadly classified as untanned collagenous, tanned collagenous and non-proteinous
wastes. Buffing dust is a proteinous solid waste impregnated with chromium, synthetic
fat, oil, tanning agents and dye chemicals which is generated during the manufacture of
leather. About 2–6 kg of buffing dust is liberated as a solid waste per ton of skinrhide
processed. The concentration of chromium in the dust is 27 grkg of dust. Dumping of
solid waste as landfill accounts for soil and groundwater contamination.
 Under Experiment A, Buffing dust collected in dust extractors in a leather
manufacturing unit was received and dried at 1108C for 1 h. A total of 10 g of dried
sample was introduced into soxhlet extraction unit by holding in a Whatman filter paper
bag. The solid waste in the bag was leached with solvent at the rate of 4 mlrmin. The
leaching experiment was continued until the leachate was free from visual appearance of
colour. The extracted liquor was concentrated and analysed spectrophotometrically. The
residue remained in the bag was dried and weighed. The experiment was repeated for
solvents acetone, methanol, ethyl acetate, n-heptane and water at pH 5, 6, 7 and 8. Total
chromium in water extractables was determined following APHA method.
Under experiment B, The water extractables of buffing dust at pH 5, 6, 7, 8 were used in
this study. The soil samples selected for this study were found to belong to sandy clay
loam soils with component composition sand 59%, silt 19% and clay 23% by weight. The
soil sample was sieved to desired size 1 mm , dried at 110 Ž . 8C and cooled over CaCl .
The optical density value was transformed into its corresponding weight obtained from a
calibration graph which was prepared with known weight of water extractables of buffing
dust. A small portion of the sample from the filtrate was analysed for tannin following
APHA method. The rates of adsorption of tannin and syntan on to soil particles were
calculated by using Lagergren’s equation.
Under experiment C, Thermogravimetric Analysis TGA and Differential
Thermogravimetric Analysis. DTG of buffing dust was carried out to determine moisture
movement, carbonization. temperature and activation temperature. DTG and TGA curves.
Moisture movement occurs up to 938C with percentage loss of mass 6.59% and
carbonisation process occurs in the temperature range of 938C to 3128C with percentage
loss of mass 80.6%. Adsorption isotherms of acid brown dye on activated carbon were
prepared at pH 2, 3.5, 5.0 and 6.5 and at temperatures 20, 30, 40 and 488C.
The leachates from buffing dust enter the groundwater sources and deviate their
characteristics from normal value. The well-water characteristics in the area around land
co-disposal of buffing dust reveals that well-water does not meet the drinking-water
standard. Conversion of buffing dust into activated carbon is a rational 67 idea of
combating solid waste pollution caused by this mass as activated carbon obtained from
buffing dust generated in leather industry as a solid was able to remove 6.247 mg of dye
per gram at a concentration of 125 mg at pH 3.5 and a temperature of 308C compared to
the commercial activated carbon which has only 6.225 mg adsorption capacity. A crude
economic analysis made on the solid waste disposal shows that about 12 ton of buffing
dust containing 54 kg of chromium in the trivalent form is produced per day from Indian
Tanneries. Hence, conversion of buffing dust into activated carbon is a recommendable
strategy to check the solid waste pollution due to buffing dust in the leather industry.

Cooperating for Survival: Tannery Pollution and Joint Action in the Palar Valley (India):
 LORAINE KENNEDY in his research stated that The economic success
associated with small firm clusters has been attributed to ``collective efficiency''
(Schmitz, 1995, 1997), a concept that embraces both passive gains arising from
agglomeration and benefits accruing from the active collaboration of economic agents.
Collective action from India came about in a context of extreme constraint, namely a
Supreme Court order to close the tanneries in the southern state of Tamil Nadu which
were not treating their effluents as per the pollution regulations. In the Palar Valley alone,
where about 45% of India's leather is produced, more than 200 tanneries, approximately a
third of the total, were shut down.

The central aim of this research was to examine how joint action has enabled
tanneries in the Palar Valley to meet the pollution crisis. It considers the tension between
individual and collective interest, and the solutions formulated by local producers. These
issues are currently at the center of both the cluster and collective action literature. A
major question is whether, and in what conditions, this experience of cooperation can
become a basis for further joint action. How can clusters build on their accumulated
``cooperative capital'' to face other kinds of challenges?

The study area is located in southern India, in the state of Tamil Nadu, in the
middle Palar Valley. There are five main tannery clusters, all situated in Vellore District,
with approximately 600, mainly small, firms. These clusters are located in and around the
towns of Vaniyambadi, Ambur, Pernambattu, Melvisharam and Ranipet. The Palar Valley
clusters exhibit many of the characteristics of industrial districts, starting with a spatial
and sectoral concentration of small and medium enterprises. In addition, drawing on
Rabellotti's definition (1995), there are numerous forward and backward linkages among
economic agents. These agents share a common cultural and social background and are
often linked through community and kinship ties.

The first crisis was when in 1973, on the basis of the recommendations of a
special task force, the Indian government decided to phase out the export of raw and
semi-finished hides and skins and to promote finished leather and leather products. This
policy decision, whose first objective was to increase the value addition in the country,
was extremely destabilizing for the local industry which had till then been specialized in
semi- finished leather. Finishing leather required entirely new machinery and know-how
and, perhaps the most intimidating, new markets. Judging from export levels however,
the Indian leather industry met the challenge and has become more, not less, dynamic.
In the 1995 crisis, the main problems observed in joint action are divided into two
sections for analysis: those related to constructing the treatment facilities and those
related to operating them. It was seen that joint action in pollution control, like other
forms of cooperation is embedded in social networks. But sustaining cooperation puts
pressures on local producers, especially in the context of high performance ambiguity
that prevails and which opens the way to free riding.

Another question that rose was whether this experience of collective action has
helped build a foundation for subsequent cooperation among tanners with the goal of
meeting other types of challenges. While there is ample evidence of change, reflecting the
will of local tanners to turn the crisis in their favor, a number of obstacles to future
cooperation remain. Almost all local tanners now belong to a CETP, which they own
collectively with other COOPERATING FOR SURVIVAL 1685 tanners. The CETPs
have organized tanners and created in the process a structure for communication and
exchange. Since the beginning of the crisis, innumerable meetings have been held at
every level to discuss collective solutions and to disseminate information and advice.
While mainly dealing with pollution, they provide at the same time a forum to discuss
other problems facing the cluster or the industry at large. However, one obvious obstacle
to joint action is the heterogeneity of the clusters. Indeed there is a sea of difference
between primary tanneries using traditional techniques and large tanneries who feed their
own manufacturing units and produce for international brands. There are distinctions in
terms of technology used and degree of technical innovation, but also in the type of
relations that they maintain in the factory with workers and outside with suppliers and
clients. These differences in resources and management styles, which translate into
different objectives, could be a hindrance to a collective approach to a challenge, say
quality upgradation.

Thus, by focusing on negative externalities this paper takes up a neglected theme in

the cluster literature. The key finding, i.e. that collective action enabled local producers to
meet effectively the challenge of pollution control, has important implications for small
firm clusters in developing countries. The overall success of the Palar Valley tannery
clusters in meeting the pollution crisis can be attributed to joint action. A collective
response is what allowed the clusters to survive. CETPs have become the main
interlocutors of decision-makers at the regional level, reflecting the current importance of
pollution control for the industry. With respect to the issue of private-public interaction in
the pursuit of environmental goals, this case demonstrates that the strict application of
environmental regulations can result in effective adaptation by industry, one that brings
gains to the industry at the same time that it allows it to meet environmental objectives.

Effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals from leather industry effluents on male

reproductive system:

Vikas Kumar, Chandrajeetbalo Majumdar, Partha Roy stated in their research that there is
increasing scientific evidence that many substances with different chemical structures can
interfere with the normal hormonally regulated biological process to adversely affect the
development and/or reproductive function in wildlife, experimental animals, and humans.
These environmental contaminants are able to alter the normal functioning of the
endocrine and reproductive systems by mimicking or inhibiting endogenous hormone
actions, or modulating the synthesis of hormones [2]. These types of chemicals have been
given the term “endocrine disrupting chemicals” (EDC). More importantly, EDC may
pose species-specific risks that are difficult to investigate because they also often act
silently with severe latent adverse effects

The mechanism of action of EDC can be divided into:

(1) agonistic/antagonistic effect (“hormone mimics”)
(2) disruption of production, transport, metabolism, or secretion of natural hormones;
and
(3) disruption of production and/or function of hormone receptors .

In their study, once it was proved that the contaminants had the androgen agonistic
activity (as shown by Hershberger assay) the next question to be answered was the exact
mechanism of its action using intact animals as model. For this they determined the
expression profiles of some of the major steroidogenic enzymes in testes and adrenals
using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Three major
steroidogenic enzymes, cytochrome P450SCC, 3-HSD and 17-HSD mRNA levels were
up-regulated in both testes and adrenal glands of treated group of animals. This was
further supported by in vitro estimation of testicular and adrenal 3-HSD and 17-HSD
enzyme activities which also showed a significant increase in the activity over the control
group of animals. The up-regulation of steroidogenic enzymes like P450scc, 3-HSD by
xenobiotics and low dose of testosterone has already been reported by some groups
earlier. The rise in serum level of androgen could be attributed to the increased level of
expression and activity of these steroidogenic enzymes. At this moment, it is difficult to
make a precise conclusion on how the effluents increased the steroidogenic enzyme
levels, since the transcription of steroidogenic enzymes is a very complex process which
has been reported by others also. However, possibility of binding of these contaminating
chemicals to these enzymes directly to regulate their expressions may also be considered
as one of the reason as has been reported for some non-steroidal compounds binding to
reductase and regulating their expressions. Another interesting feature of this study is up-
regulation of androgen receptor expression in testes of treated group of animals which is
again a matter of controversy since autologous regulation of AR is still a matter of debate.

Cleaner Productions:

Leather industry, an age old enterprise provide a wide range of consumer goods such as
shoes, garments, bags etc by turning the food industry's waste product into a desirable,
useful and sustainable range of end products. Sumita Dixit, Ashish Yadav, Premendra D.
Dwivedi and Mukul Das stated in their research that even though the leather industry has
significant economic influence; however, it suffers from the negative impact due to
environmental pollution caused by tannery wastes produced during leather processing
processes. The tanning processes contribute significantly to chemical oxygen demand
(COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), chlorides, sulfates and heavy metal pollution.

The chemicals discharged into aquatic systems end up in highly polluted sediments
and salinisation of rivers. European Chemical Agency (ECHA) has prioritized some of
the hazardous chemicals used in leather under Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC)
and substances for Authorization. The situation has highlighted the need for greener
technologies. Out of the two broad categories of technical methods, the first group
involves the introduction of processing technologies by decreasing the effluent pollution
load, avoiding the use of harmful chemicals and producing solid wastes that can be used
as by-products. The other category is related to the treatment of wastewater, handling and
processing of solid waste in an environment-friendly manner. Both methods have been
applied to prevent negative impact on the environment during leather production. The
methods have been reviewed for their technical suitability and commercial feasibility and
it was felt that combination of both is essential. The technologies can have up-front
additional costs but have to be balanced against multiple benefits in terms of
environmental cleanup, improved labour productivity, material quality consistency and
better international image. By using the best available technologies and optimized
systems the leather industry can evolve as an environment friendly technology.

The manufacturing process for leather preparation can be divided into three basic
sub-processes:
 preparatory stage/beam house stage,
 tanning stage
 crusting stage.
Surface coating may be an additional step into the leather process.

Enormous amount of water and pollutants are discharged during the entire tanning
process. Conventional pre-tanning and tanning processes accounts for nearly 90% of the
total pollution from a tannery. Pretanning process results in variations in pH and causes
increase in chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), chlorides,
sulphates in tannery wastewaters. The conventional dehairing process with sodium
sulphide and lime accounts to 84% of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), 75% of COD
and 92% of suspended solids (SS) from a tannery.
A great deal of sludge generated from the tannery plants render the solid waste
management system highly inactive due to non-biodegradability of the tanned leather.
Leather itself is slow biodegradable and treatment of different chemicals during tanning
process makes it resistant towards chemical, thermal, and microbiological degradation.

The Legislation scenario for leather industries lays down that the discharge limit
parameters are different from one country to other. Some legislative authorities have a
check on the quality of treated effluents; while others on the quality of the recipient water
bodies; some define the permissible levels of impurities to be discharged per day into the
recipient water body, whereas in some cases specifications are linked to the total amount
of waste water discharged

For reducing the negative environmental impact of hide processing, there are two broad
methods. The first method is generally termed as low-waste or cleaner technologies that
avoid the use of harmful chemicals and produce solid wastes which can be used as by-
products. The second method is related to the treatment of wastewater and the
environment-friendly handling and processing of solid waste. The methods applied in
both groups can be used to prevent leather production with less negative impact on the
environment.

Thus, a critical review on the conventional leather processes and the principles behind
each step reveals that the bulk of the pollution rests in pre-tanning and tanning processes,
though post tanning and finishing steps also pollute the environment.
The emergent green technologies have been divided into two broad methods;
(i) Low waste or cleaner technologies that decrease the effluent pollution load, avoid
the use of harmful chemicals and produce solid wastes that can be changed into
useful by products
(ii) Treatment of wastewater and the environment-friendly handling and
processing of solid waste.
Benefits will also accrue for the people living in the vicinity of the beneficiary tannery
units and the working personnel. Though the steps presented in the paper for cleaner
technology in leather industry are quite stringent, nonetheless, regulators shall have to
adopt these in order to safeguard the environment and human health.

V john sundar, R ramesh, PS Rao, Psaravanan, B Sridharnath and murlidharan(2000),

studied water management in leather industry. Leather industry like any other industry
requires a lot of water. Such excessive usage of water leads to shortage of water and
effluent treatment problems arise. In the 90’s around 30 billion of water was used in the
industry annually. CLRI made a systematic study where they emphasized on the
excessive usage and gave strategies of reduce and recycle. In this paper the role of newer
equipments in minimizing water usage in leather processing has also been studied
extensively.
In leather industry water plays a vital role, almost all the operations in leather making
requires water as a processing medium. Nearly 40-45 L of water is required to process 1
kg of raw hide. Such huge volume of water used in leather processing had two problems:
availability of water in required quantity and the treatment of effluents thus generated, as
almost entire quantity of water used.
The leather processing activities can be broadly classified into beam house, tanning and
post tanning operation.
Beam house operations include soaking, liming, deliming-cum-bating and pickling.
Tanning basically aims at stabilization of hides which is obtained through treatments with
a variety of agents. The choice of tanning method and the agent depends mainly on the
properties required in the finished leather. The most common tanning systems used are
vegetable, chrome or the combination of both.
A post tanning technology covers wet processes that are performed on tanned leathers
and consists of rechrome tanning, neutralization, retanning, dyeing and fatliquoring.
CLRI has evolved a few water management strategies which has been adopted by Indian
leather industrialists. The strategies are:
 Recycling of sectional process liquors;
 Recycling- direct reuse of water in less critical processes
 Low float processing;
 Increased volume control.
Reestablishing to control measures and reusing, reuse techniques prompt to critical
sparing, to the tune of 65-70% in water inputs required for cowhide preparing. Utilization
of more up to date hardware give extra advantages. Given the quantum of preparing
around 2300 tons for every day the reserve funds in water obliged add up to 4600Kl
every day when water lessening techniques are utilized. The sparing in water input
accumulated by various methodologies is given in the table. There is a requirement for
exhaustive way to deal with water administration in tanneries. It is vital to say that
numerous tanneries are as of now utilizing different blends of the methodologies said in
this paper. Endeavors are likewise being made to reuse treated effluents for specific
operations in cowhide preparing again with shifting degrees of accomplishment.

R. Karthikeyan, S. Balaji, and P K Sehgal (2007), made a review on the industrial

applications of keratins. Keratin, a sinewy protein shaping principle basic constituent of
plume, hair, fleece, horn, foot and so forth., is plentifully accessible as a by-item from
poultry, slaughterhouse, tanning and hide preparing industry. Keratins however discover
applications in sustenance, pharmaceutical, corrective and manure industry, impressive
measure of these items is squandered more than once. Keratins are hard to debasement
and their transfer prompts to natural issues. Research is being done all around to use these
squanders. Keratin hydrolysates discover potential application in calfskin tanning
industry.

A gigantic amount of keratins as hairs, plumes, horns and feet are squandered every year.
Keratins are comprehensively delegated hard (5% sulfur) and delicate (1% sulfur)
keratins. Keratin is mechanically powerful and artificially inert because of tight pressing
of protein chain as α-helix or β-sheet into a super wound polypeptide chain crosslinked
with disulfide bonds. Beautifying agents in view of keratin arrangements have been
accounted for the treatment of human hair and skin. Keratinous materials are utilized as
added substance as a part of the planning of cement and earthenware production. An
endeavor has been set aside a few minutes in Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI),
Chennai to use keratin squanders effectively in calfskin tanning forms. Fruitful endeavors
have been made to change over keratinous squanders like poultry plumes, creature hair,
horns and feet into keratin hydrolysate (KH) by controlled salt hydrolysis. KH has been
effectively utilized in calfskin handling especially amid chrome tanning and rechroming
operations to improve the take-up of chromium salt by cowhide. KH is additionally
effectively utilized in filling cum retanning operation in calfskin processing.Application
of keratinase-delivering microorganisms is being investigated in sustain, manure,
cleanser, cowhide and pharmaceutical enterprises where there is awesome requirement
for materials got from option crude materials particularly creature squanders got from
meat preparing plants, poultry units, marine and butcher houses.
Keratin Hydrolysate in Tanning:
In cowhide handling, tanning changes over putrescible skin collagen into stable calfskin.
At present, chromium sulfate is generally utilized world over as a tanning operator
because of its flexible nature to create distinctive sorts of cowhides with required
properties and employments. Be that as it may, this tanning framework is under expanded
weight from the green gatherings because of its contaminating and lethal nature. One of
the imperatives reported in ordinary chrome tanning practices is of the fatigue of Cr in
the tanning shower, which does not surpass 60-65% in business tanneries. Because of
this, extensive amount of chromium is released into the emanating creating ecological
contamination. CLRI thinks about directed to enhance weariness of Cr in tanning shower
by utilizing KH arranged from poultry plumes and tannery hairs. KH arranged from horn
supper by corrosive hydrolysis (utilizing HCl) and microbial hydrolysis (utilizing
Bacillus subtilis strain) could likewise be effectively utilized in chrome tanning procedure
to enhance weariness.
Keratin Hydrolysate in Retanning:
Fiber structure of conceal/skin is not uniform all through the whole range and it is most
normal to fill the unfilled way of chrome tanned calfskins by retanning to enhance the
required properties of cowhides, which are expected for making foot wear, articles of
clothing, gloves, furniture and car upholstery and so on. Today a few improvements are
occurring in the field of retanning. The greater part of these retanning operators are still
suspected in their application because of arrival of high COD, TDS, free phenol and free
formaldehyde. Protein based retanning specialists offer better prospects as they fill free
regions, for example, midsection, flanks and poor substance materials without
contributing much load to tannery profluent.
This audit gives base material towards the foundation of earth benevolent innovation for
the treatment of keratin squanders and tosses light on transformation of non-palatable
slaughterhouse and tannery squander (hair, quill, horn and fleece) into esteem included
items. The utilization of KH in cowhide handling has two-crease advantage. At first, bio
waste is changed over into KH, which is utilized as thorough guide as a part of chrome
tanning to lessen the contamination stack, lastly it is utilized as filler-cum-retanning
operator to supplant existing retanning-cum-filling material utilized by the calfskin
business.

Vinod Tare, Sandeep Gupta, & Purnendu Bose (2012), did a case study on the biological
treatment of tannery effluents in India.
This paper shows a similar appraisal of the cost and nature of treatment of tannery
wastewater in India by two basic effluent treatment plants (CETPs) developed for two
tannery clusters,at Jajmau(Kanpur) and at Unnao in the condition of Uttar Pradesh, India.
The Jajmau plant is upflow anaerobic ooze cover (UASB) handle based, while the Unnao
plant is initiated slop prepare (ASP)- based. Examinations showed that the ASP-based
plant was unrivaled in all respects.the treated UASB effluent had higher biochemical and
compound oxygen request (Body/COD) and significant measures of other undesirable
constituents, similar to chromium (Cr) and sulfide, as contrasted and the ASP effluent,
which had bring down Body/COD and immaterial centralization of sulfide and Cr. Slime
generation from the UASB-based plant was likewise higher at 1.4 t/day/MLD, in contrast
with the muck creation of 0.8 t/day/MLD for the ASP-based plant. Additionally, the
whole slop created in the UASB-based plant was Cr-defiled and, henceforth,
hazardous,while just a little division of the ooze delivered in the ASP-based plant was
also tainted. The aftereffects of this study are at fluctuation with the tried and true way of
thinking of the predominance of anaerobic procedures for tannery squander water
treatment in tropical creating nations like India.
The push of the present study was on the investigation of the cost and execution
information of two CETPs in view of various organic procedures, in particular, oxygen
consuming (ASP) and anaerobic (UASB), being worked for two firmly arranged groups
of tanneries, one in Jajmau (Kanpur), UP, and the other in Unnao, UP. Similar appraisal
of CETPs brought about conclusions at fluctuation with the standard way of thinking re-
garding points of interest of anaerobic over high-impact wastewater treatment choices in
tropical and creating nations, to the extent treatment of tannery effluent is concerned.
Specifi-cally, the accompanying conclusions were produced using this study:
• For the UASB-based treatment framework concentrated, high SO42 focus in tannery
wastewater necessi-tated weakening of the tannery effluent with residential wastewater
containing a similarly lesser measure of SO42 to build the COD-SO42 proportion for
promo-tion of methanogenesis. This required the construc-tion of a greater reactor,
bringing about improved con-struction and O&M costs, ooze generation, and land
prerequisite. • Correlation regarding complete annualized cost, muck creation, and land
prerequisites shows that the standardized estimations of these parameters, that is, per
MLD of tannery effluent treated, were higher on account of the UASB-based process, in
examination with the ASP-based process. • In spite of the measures to advance
methanogenesis in the UASB framework as portrayed already, a consider-capable
measure of sulfide was still created in the UASB reactor, with related effects on the
treated efflu-ent quality. Then again, sulfide creation was not an issue for the ASP-based
process. Additionally, the treated effluent from the UASB-based treatment plant had a
higher Cr fixation, as contrasted and the ASP-based treatment plant. • Nearness of Cr in
the tannery wastewater brought about generation of Cr-polluted dangerous slop in both
CETPs. Notwithstanding, in contrast with the UASB procedure, where the whole slop
created was Cr-defiled and, thus, risky, just the essential muck, which was a little bit of
the aggregate ooze delivered in ASP-based framework, was sullied with Cr. It must be
conceded that the conclusions introduced here depend on a contextual analysis including
just two plants. In this way, the subsequent conclusions ought not conventionally be
extrapolated without refering to more information from comparable plants from the
whole way across India. In any case, the audit of tannery wastewater qualities from all
over India32 shows that an amazing comparability exists in the relative concen-trations of
different contaminations in tannery wastewater from the whole way across the nation.
Advance, there is a converse rela-tionship between the centralization of individual pollut-
ants and the level of water usage in the tanning procedure in various parts of the nation.
Under the cir-cumstances, it can be said with some confidence that the finishes of this
study can be repeated in a bigger study including more plants the whole way across India.
Taking everything into account, it is underscored that the outcomes pre-sented in this
paper don't constitute a sweeping feedback of the UASB arrangement of treatment. It is
just recommended that, as per information assembled amid these contextual
investigations, the UASB framework may not be appropriate for the treatment of some
tannery wastewater. This conclusion is drawn considering the high SO42 substance of
tannery wastewater and considering the remiss administrative environment in India,
which neglects to check Cr being released to the CETPs con-structed for the treatment of
tannery wastewater.

G. Sekaran, K.A. Shanmugasundaram, M Mariappan & KV Raghavan(1995),

investigated on the utilization of a solid waste generated in leather industry for removal
of dye in aqueous solution.
buffing dust produced from cowhide industry can be considered as a hotspot for getting
initiated carbon for the expulsion of colors from waste water.
engineered color stuffs , sulphated, sulphited and other tanning materials having sweet-
smelling attributes are liberally included amid the fabricate of calfskin. under typical
conditions organic treatment units are occasionally powerful for evacuation of colors. it
has been accounted for that color stuffs were gone through actuated slop squander water
treatment framework without getting expelled. the release of exceptionally hued squander
water is not satisfactory to statutory bodies. likewise the peneteration of light and
photosynthetic movement in the amphibian medium are debilitated.
the strategies like broke up air floatation, coagulation, particle trade, adsorption and
oxidation were imployed for the expulsion of colors from the waste water. rate expulsion
of colors by coagulation strategy is just halfway while adsorption procedure is a final
offer for the expulsion of colors from wastewater.
high level of calfskin complete is accomplished while doing buffing operation at room
temperature in a different chamber gave an office to gather the buffing dust delivered
simultaneously. in calfskin industry 2 kg of buffing dust is delivered more than 1000 kg
of skin prepared or 200 kg of cowhide created. buffing dust is a finely partitioned calfskin
substrate which contributes towards clean contamination inside tannery premises
furthermore in the encompassing environment. subsequently, calfskin ventures are
prompted by contamination control powers to arrange off this strong waste in a naturally
solid way.
wastewater released from calfskin industry after broad natural treatment have straw
yellow to orange shading contributed by leftover organics like color stuffs. this requires
the consideration of cleaning treatment unit for safe transfer of tannery gushing. isolation
of spent color waste water from composite profluent and its different treatment may
facilitate the organic treatment of tannery gushing to meet the releasing standard.
actuated carbon acquired from buffing dust created in calfskin industry as strong waste
could expel 6.24 mg of color for every gram at a grouping of 125 mg/L. greatest
expulsion of color from a waste water happened at pH 3.5 and temperatures 30 degree
Celsius. The adsorption limit of the enacted carbon was observed to be expanded with
carbonization temperature. The adsorption of color from fluid arrangement on surface of
buffing dust based initiated carbon was physical in nature including next to no warmth of
adsorption. The adsorption limit of buffing dust enacted carbon was observed to be more
noteworthy than with monetarily accessible initiated carbons.
3. Results and discussion

RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. The industry should keep in mind to safeguard the environment and direct its
production towards eco-friendly system of production by adopting newer and greener
technologies in the production process.
2. The Government should introduce and frame policies and programs to effectively
replenish the livestock such as sheep, goats, buffaloes and other domesticated animal.
3. The Indian industry as a whole is facing tremendous disadvantage from other
competitive countries like China, Brazil regarding the transportation and logistics, which
can be further improved and modernized. For instance, a big city like Kolkata doesn’t
have a deep seaport and clearing and forwarding takes more seven days.
4. The government should take measures on a regular basis for removal of critical
bottlenecks in infrastructure which hampers the development of the industry.
5. The leather industry should adopt practices which are in the favor of workers welfare.

My work mainly focused on the problem of pollution by the leather industry. In leather
industry pollution in the pre tanning process is the maximum for the leather processing.
Another problem associated with this industry is water management because water is the
most vital ingredient in the leather processing. Another problem deals with the
employment problem.
4.Conclusion
The leather industry in India holds a very prominent place in the Indian economy. The
leather and leather products industry is one of the oldest manufacturing industries in
India. The Indian leather industry provides employment to about 2.5 million people in the
country and has an annual turnover of approximately US$ 5,000,000. The industry has a
massive potential for providing more employment, growth, and exports. Great emphasis
has been placed on the planned development of the leather industry and at the optimal
utilization of available raw materials. India has a greater competitive advantage due to its
lower labour cost. Amongst all the industries mentioned above the footwear industry in
particular holds greater potential for investments. India produces approximately 700
million pairs of leather footwear every year and accounts for an 18% share of the total
Indian leather export. After footwear manufacturing of leather goods promise great
investment opportunity manufacturing of leather products, such as wallets, travel wares,
belts, and handbags offer great returns on investment. There are various social issues,
environmental issues, economic issues faced by this industry. Competition from china is a
major challenge for this industry. Germany is the largest market for Indian leather
products. Various strategies have been formulated to overcome the problem faced by this
industry. Some of the strategies used are diverse marketing techniques, fairs and
exhibitions, training facilities, investment by large corporate. India is one of the best
destinations in the world for investing in the leather industry because India is endowed
with abundant raw materials required for the industry to grow. India has a huge
population of cattle. India accounts for 21% of the world’s cattle and buffalo and 11% of
the world’s goat and sheep population. Apart from the easy availability of raw materials,
investors are able to enjoy an easy and abundant supply of skilled manpower, world-class
technology, competent and favorable environmental standards, and the devoted support of
allied industries. Several leading international leather goods manufacturing brand names,
such as Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Versace, Guess, and DKNY, have invested in India
and are engaged in sourcing leather goods from India.
5. BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.indianmirror.com/indian-industries/leather.html
http://www.ibef.org/exports/leather-industry-india.aspx
http://dspace.library.iitb.ac.in/jspui/bitstream/10054/1649/1/5691.pdf
https://www.infona.pl/resource/bwmeta1.element.springer-5d73a3b0-0e39-3e57-9e60-
9a7b4f014c46
http://162.144.90.128/IEGIndia/upload/pdf/wp255.pdf
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/6380006.pdf
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X99000807
http://www.ugcfrp.ac.in/images/userfiles/63496-Natural.pdf
http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/42725509/1-s2.0-
S0304389498001599-main.pdf?
AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&Expires=1479160114&Signature=H
OGRwiRTIoYAui4k7tPeXrrDcsM%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B
%20filename%3DCharacterization_and_utilisation_of_buff.pdf
http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/46612119/j.jsbmb.2008.06.00520160
619-5636-a2yf5z.pdf?
AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&Expires=1479160155&Signature=x
wCwoYrow5yVcdvsbX%2BHX3NxfTk%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B
%20filename%3DEffects_of_Endocrine_Disrupting_Chemical.pdf
http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/36422284/Leather.pdf?
AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&Expires=1479160216&Signature=S
xb74EQ8V%2FVnGhJNPbZ9tHsi2yI%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B
%20filename%3DToxic_hazards_of_leather_industry_and_te.pdf
6.ANNEXURE

TABLE1:
Experiment After 3h After 4h After 5h After6h After7h
L1 3 4 5 6 7
L2 5 6 7 7 8
L3 5 6 7 8 9
L4 6 7 8 9 10

TABLE2:
Process Enzyme Microorganism
Soaking Protease Aspergillus parasiticus, A.flavus, A.oryzae,
bacillus subtilis
Carbohydrates Aspergillus awamori
Dehairing Protease Aspergillus flavus, aspergillus sp., bacillus
subtilis, lactobacillus sp.
Bating Protease A. Paraciticus, S. rinosus, B. subtilis, B.
licheniformis
Degreasing Lipase Rhizopus nodosus, A, oryzae, a. flavus.

TABLE-3
Püntener Alexander Buljan
Untanned waste:
shavings
subepidermal Tissue 530 kg 530 kg 100 kg
trimmings 135 kg 135 kg 300kg
Tanned Waste:
shavings 145 kg 100 kg 99 kg
split 115 107
Dyed and finished
waste: 10 kg
shavings 32kg 10kg
fluff 2kg 1kg
Total 870kg 439-599 kg 637kg
TABLE-4
Mean values of some characteristics of leather industry waste
Type of Water pH Fats & Nitrogen Salt % Sulphur(ppm) Calorific
Waste Content oils % % Value
% kcal/kg
A1 58.99 7.29 58.5 14.7 1.41 N.D. 7953
B1 44.4 7.33 53.5 5.9 1.71 N.D. 7375
C1 45.77 7.4 56 34.6 2.56 N.D. 5345
D1 45.77 7.44 56 17.1 2.52 N.D. 5642
A2 61.65 12.37 53 13.1 1.77 439 4852
B2 83.72 10.06 25 25 0.87 243 4916
C2 57.13 12.43 6 31.3 2.82 65 5753
D2 57.13 12.49 7 18.2 2.86 N.D. 5146
A3 66.01 3.93 2.4 60.3 4.65 N.D. 3884
B3 63.99 4.28 0.85 61.2 3.95 N.D. 3912
C3 46.61 4.17 2.15 64.1 4.68 N.D. 4354
D3 45.86 5.24 2.1 31.7 1.72 N.D. 4552
A4 14.58 4.3 4.05 35.4 2 N.D. 4820
B4 8.57 5.81 3.5 46.5 1.6 N.D. 4902
C4 6.97 6.01 3.9 47.7 1.66 N.D. 4056
D4 9.26 4.26 4.1 26.4 1.37 N.D. 4544
A5 7.24 5.47 6.95 49.4 1.49 N.D. 4685
B5 6.39 4.46 4.35 48.6 1.48 N.D. 4929
C5 8.83 4.75 7.05 46.7 2.21 N.D. 4744
D5 8.83 4 4.25 28.7 2.08 N.D. 4541
TABLE-5
Mean Values of Cr, Fe, na and Ca Contents of leather Industry wastes (ppm)
Type of Waste CR FE NA CA
A1 N.D. 1206 27496 6972
B1 N.D. 667 4014 19310
C1 N.D. 915 14612 12185
D1 N.D. 1407 27217 16424
A2 N.D. 894 9000 76000
B2 N.D. 1835 15000 87000
C2 N.D. 4272 45384 11799
D2 N.D. 626 29679 42399
A3 14500 11 15000 700
B3 14493 27 10243 745
C3 17943 282 14234 711
D3 43 378 5919 1566
A4 11783 1467 49350 4632
B4 23747 77 707 1516
C4 15000 521 11000 6200
D4 28 992 14894 2780
A5 14989 34 2100 900
B5 18360 123 1504 701
C5 13530 29 997 897
D5 1492 452 19083 1024

TABLE 6
Working hours per day No. of children
5-7+ 2(5)
8-10+ 4(10)
11-12+ 9(22.5)
13-14+ 22(55)
15-17+ 3(7.5)
TABLE 7
SLUM Nature of health Study Group Control group X2 P value
problem No % No % Test
1 Affecting the 12 30 0 0 14.1 <0.001
skeletal system
2 Affecting the
nervous system:
Dizziness 16 40 4 10 9.6 <0.005
Tingling in palm 10 25 0 0 11.42 <0.001
and fingers