LEATHER PROCESSING

RESOURCE EFFICIENT AND CLEANER PRODUCTION BRIEFING AND

RESOURCE GUIDE FOR MICRO & SMALL ENTERPRISES

PURPOSE
Issue. Certain process, technique, and management deficits are commonly found in
micro- and small-scale leather processing operations. These deficits can have serious
adverse effects on short- or long-term business performance---AND, on the local
environment and on community health and safety. Among the most significant areas where
economic savings can be realized through cleaner production are management actions
that address inefficient use of chemicals, excess chemical exposure by workers,
excess water use, poorly managed waste streams, and poor process control.
Response. Addressing these deficits by adopting resource-efficient and cleaner
production (RECP) processes, techniques, and management practices can reduce costs
and improve business performance and, at the same time, avoid or minimize adverse
impacts on the local environment and on community health and safety. RECP approaches
generally focus on improving resource and production efficiency which saves physical and
energy resources, time, and money needed in production—and results in less waste and
pollution. This briefing supports the application of RECP solutions in these five key areas.
Contents. This briefing addresses each deficit area in turn. General business,
environmental and health and safety issues are identified first. Then, a question and
answer format is used to identify specific deficits and potential RECP solutions. The
References and Resources section at the end of this briefing provides more detailed and
quantitative information on these solutions.
Audience. This briefing is intended for business development services providers working
directly with leather processing MSEs, for those designing MSE strengthening projects,
and for USAID staff (and the staff of other funding organizations) charged with overseeing
projects in the leather processing sector.
Scope. This briefing focuses on MSEs that are processing animal hides into leather.
However, some of the solutions outlined in this briefing could also be applied to MSEs that
using animal hides to make glue, or agricultural operations that perform some of the initial
tanning steps before selling hides.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Proven Benefits of Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) ................... 2
Area 1: Use Chemicals Efficiently ..................................................................................... 3
Area 2: Minimize Workers’ Chemical Exposure ................................................................ 4
Area 3: Reduce Water Usage ........................................................................................... 4
Area 4: Manage Waste Streams .................................................................................... 5
Area 5: Improve Process Control ................................................................................... 6
References and Resources ............................................................................................ 7

LAST FULL UPDATE MAY 2013

This document was prepared by The Cadmus Group, Inc. under USAID’s Global Environmental Management Support
Program, Contract Number GS-10F-0105J. The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the views of USAID or the United States.
THE PROVEN BENEFITS OF
RESOURCE EFFICIENT AND
CLEANER PRODUCTION (RECP)
In 1990, UNEP defined Cleaner Production (CP) as “The continuous
application of an integrated environmental strategy to processes, products
and services to increase efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the
environment”. The CP concept is widely accepted and promoted
internationally, including by USAID. The strategies used to implement CP can
be as simple as following the guidance in this briefing, or more complex and
formal Environmental Management Systems (e.g., ISO 14001 standard)
utilized by medium and large enterprises. UNEP is now advancing the
concept of Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production, updating CP with
additional emphasis on efficient utilization of resources in product and service
enterprises.
This briefing is specifically concerned with RECP/CP technical and
management interventions in production operations. Such interventions focus
on (1) increasing the efficiency with which resources are utilized and/or (2)
assuring that resources are utilized “cleanly”—without incurring costs and
impacts that adversely affect the bottom line of the enterprise, the
environment, and worker and community health and safety. Typical RECP
interventions include:
• substituting different materials
• modifying processes
• improving process management
• upgrading equipment
• redesigning products
Inefficient use of resources like fuel, water and raw materials incurs both
business and environmental costs. Experience shows that by reducing
inefficiencies, RECP interventions in many cases substantially improve
business performance AND deliver environmental, health and safety
benefits—sometimes with little or no investment.
Is this always true? No. Some RECP interventions may not improve business
performance. But RECP approaches offer the most cost-effective way to
improve environmental or social performance when required by project
implementation conditions, local regulations, or simply to preserve
community goodwill.
For more information see http://www.usaidgems.org/sme.htm.

MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES BRIEFING: LEATHER PROCESSING 2

 AREA 1: USE CHEMICALS EFFICIENTLY
Business Issues: Leather processing requires extensive use of chemicals to
treat and soften hides. When chemicals are improperly or inefficiently used in
production, costs rise. More efficient chemical use can lower production
costs.
Environmental Issues: Toxicity is an issue for both human health and
ecosystems. Inefficient use of chemicals increases concentration of
chemicals and pollutants in the wastestream and soils. For example,
hexavalent chromium in particular is highly toxic to aquatic animals at very
small doses. It is also highly toxic to humans, causing kidney damage and
increasing the risk of lung cancer in humans.
Community and Occupational Health and Safety Issues: Chemicals
present in the facility’s wastewater can contaminate soils and community
water sources. Exposure to excess chemicals can have detrimental effects
on workers and members of the surrounding community.
Use the following questions and answers to identify specific causes of
inefficient chemical use and the corresponding RECP methods that address
them.
Can chrome tanning be replaced with less
hazardous chemicals?
Consider using alternative chemicals that are less
hazardous. Many leather tanning processes use
hexavalent chromium, as well as chromium (III)
sulfate, which can cause irritation to the eyes and
respiratory tract of workers in contact with the
chemical. It also can cause irritation to the
gastrointestinal tract and renal failure in those who
ingest chromium-contaminated water. Titanium,
aluminum, iron, zirconium, or vegetable tanning
agents (i.e. tannins) can be substituted for
chromium (III) sulfate. However, take into
consideration that leather tanned using chromium-
based processes may be easier to work with, is
softer, more water-proof, and require decreased
production times.

A Bangladeshi woman embosses leather that will Are chemicals recycled, and are bath
temperatures controlled/ monitored?
be used to manufacture handbags and shoes for
export. Recycle chrome and tanning bath solutions.
Chrome and lime effluent can be reused in future
production stages without loss of effectiveness; use filters to screen out solid
wastes and then set aside the solution to use it again. Assess the cost-
effectiveness of such strategies before proceeding, however. For example,
some chrome-recycling strategies may not be cost-effective for smaller
operations.
Improve production methods to increase efficiency. Using higher
temperatures and pH control in chrome baths helps chrome adhere to hides
and reduces the amount of chemicals left in the wastewater. Instruct workers

MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES BRIEFING: LEATHER PROCESSING 3

about the correct chemical ratios to use in tanning and finishing baths. Use
measuring equipment to minimize overuse.
How are chemicals stored?
Improve chemical storage to reduce waste and spills. Store chemicals in
sturdy, waterproof containers. Instruct employees to seal containers after use
to avoid spills and unnecessary evaporation.

AREA 2: MINIMIZE WORKERS’ CHEMICAL

EXPOSURE
Business Issues: Unhealthy workers may be less productive, miss work too
often and make potentially costly mistakes. Therefore minimizing chemical
exposure can contribute to reduced operating costs.
Environmental Issues: Measures to reduce workers’
exposure to chemicals can also reduce dispersion of
chemicals into the environment.
Community and Occupational Health and Safety
Issues: Certain working conditions in leather
processing—such as exposure to chemicals in the air
or in solution baths—can be hazardous to workers.
Symptoms can include skin irritations, dizziness and
breathing problems.
Use the following questions and answers to identify
specific causes of workers’ chemical exposure and
the corresponding RECP methods that address them.
Is the tannery structure well-ventilated?
Ventilate the production sites well. Organic solvents,
in particular, are harmful when inhaled. Over time,
even minor exposure can cause long-term damage to
Two leather workers wearing gloves and aprons.
workers’ health.
Photo by: Patrick Hall
What safety measures are currently in place?
Provide safety equipment such as face masks, rubber gloves and boots for
workers. Small improvements can increase worker safety dramatically and
improve long-run productivity.
Are workers provided with safety training?
Minimize chemical spills and accidental exposure by educating workers
about preventive safety measures. Train workers in the proper handling of
chemicals and procedures to follow in the event of a chemical spill.

AREA 3: REDUCE WATER USAGE

Business Issues: Leather processing requires water in almost every stage
of production, but certain production methods or machinery can lead to
overuse. Energy costs for pumping, as well as for environmental impacts
from energy consumption, will also be higher than necessary. Excessive

MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES BRIEFING: LEATHER PROCESSING 4

 groundwater use may lower the water table and require frequent redrilling of
wells.
Using water more efficiently guarantees less costly production and ensures
against water shortages that could interrupt production. If the enterprise pays
by volume for the water it uses, reducing water usage can be expected to
provide substantial savings.
Environmental Issues: If excessive well or pump water is used for leather
processing, water sources for future production or community use could be
depleted.
Community and Occupational Health and Safety Issues: Untreated
wastewater (effluent) from processing operations may contain toxic wastes,
which can both pollute local water sources and degrade water quality for
downstream communities.
Use the following questions and answers to identify
specific causes of excess water use and the
corresponding RECP methods that address them.
Is water usage optimized in the production line?
Conserve water by improving production methods.
Turn off water between batches or while transferring
hides between baths. Install nozzles on hoses to
increase the effectiveness of spraying while
decreasing water use. Prevent baths from overflowing
by monitoring water levels closely or installing an
automatic shut-off mechanism.
Reuse water from “cleaner” stages of production in
“dirtier” stages of the next production cycle. For
example, use rinse water from the final stage of
production for the initial soaking or washing of the
Stacked pelts in a leather processing facility.
next batch of hides.
Photo by: Patrick Hall
How is the production facility cleaned?
Use dry cleanup methods. Wipe down spills with dry material; use brooms or
cloth to remove as much solid or semi-solid waste as possible from floors or
machinery before rinsing them down with water.

AREA 4: MANAGE WASTE STREAMS

Business Issues: Controlling waste streams through improved waste
treatment techniques, or even recycling may reduce costs.
Environmental Issues: Improper treatment and disposal of tannery wastes
can contaminate local soil and water bodies.
Community and Occupational Health and Safety Issues: Tannery effluent
often contains highly odorous waste. Strong smells can damage the quality of
life around the tannery site and may reduce or destroy community support for
further production or expansion.

MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES BRIEFING: LEATHER PROCESSING 5

Use the following questions and answers to identify problems with
wastestream management and the corresponding RECP methods that
address them.
Are odors from sludges controlled?
Control sludge to decrease odors. Do not let sludge stagnate in or around the
tannery site. Place it in a landfill or treatment area. Standing pools of liquid
smell bad and are potential breeding grounds for insects, particularly
mosquitoes. Eliminate these problems by draining the pools.
Can wastes or trimmings be separated before chemical processing of
leather?
Some organic wastes can be sold to farmers and be
reused as fertilizers (assuming it is uncontaminated
by the tanning chemicals). Additionally, depending on
the fat content the organic waste, it can potentially be
used as a fuel source (either burned directly or
processed into a liquid fuel). Hide trimmings can be
recovered to manufacture glue, gelatin, and similar
products.
Where are wastes disposed of?
Implement a waste disposal or treatment system that
diverts organic effluent away from water bodies.
Avoid simply dumping solid wastes; instead, use a
proper landfill or dig an appropriately sized pit. (See
the chapter on solid waste in the Guidelines.) Bury
waste to minimize odors. Wherever solid waste is
disposed of, make sure it is away from water sources
and cannot be washed away. If possible, chemical A designer at the Leather and Shoe Research
wastes should be kept separate and trucked to a
Institute in Hanoi.
wastewater treatment facility that can handle
chemical wastes.

AREA 5: IMPROVE PROCESS CONTROL

Business Issues: Inefficient or poor production methods contribute to
excessive waste and costly product loss. Tanneries with low-quality
production processes may have to discard or rework an unnecessarily high
proportion of their products. Improving production through maintenance and
training can save costly reworking, reduce product loss, and thereby save
money while reducing environmental impacts.
Environmental Issues: Improving process control reduces the quantity of
chemical inputs to be mined/synthesized, used, and discharged. Additionally,
more efficient and reliable tanning processes allows the same amount of
product (leather) to be produced with fewer hides, and thus a smaller
agricultural footprint.
Community and Occupational Health and Safety Issues:
Use the following questions and answers to identify specific inefficiencies in
process control and the corresponding RECP methods that address them.

MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES BRIEFING: LEATHER PROCESSING 6

 Are unprocessed hides salted as soon as they are received by the
tannery?
Unprocessed hides need to be salted as soon as possible to prevent
spoilage (putrification).
Are the appropriate concentrations of chemicals used?
Determine appropriate concentrations of chemicals needed for chemical
baths to produce consistently high-quality products with the minimum
necessary quantities of chemicals. This may require some trial and error to
determine the optimal mix. Once that is determined, provide workers with
measuring equipment that allows them to consistently mix chemicals to the
specified concentration.
Are a consistent number of hides treated per batch?
Treating a consistent number of hides per batch complements the process
described above by ensuring a consistent ratio of chemicals to hides.
Overfilling tanning baths with hides reduces efficiency, while under filling
wastes valuable inputs.
Are machines regularly maintained? Which production processes are
easiest to modify in order to reduce waste?
Ensure that regular maintenance schedules for machinery are followed. For
example, to reduce spoilage or losses, workers should regularly clean filters
and screens of machinery used in dehairing and hide-shaving.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES

• Marks and Spencer, CP Module 3a: Minimum Standards and Best Practices for
tannery. Version 1.0 (2013).
http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/documents/how_we_do_business/ecp3a.
pdf.
This module explains the Marks & Spencer minimum standards and best
practices for tanneries.
• Policy Options to Address Informal Sector Contamination in Urban Latin America:
The Case of Leather Tanneries in Bogotá, Colombia. LATEN Dissemination Note
# 14 (1995). Biller, Dan and Quintero, Juan David.: World Bank.
This report is a case study of informal leather tanneries in the San Benito
neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia. It includes proposals and policy
options for addressing the industry's pollution problems.
• Covington, Anthony D. (1999). Innovations in Processing. International Union of
Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) Congress held in
Chennai, India, January 1999. http://leather.webindia.com/innovation.html.
This paper includes a useful overview of hide processing and presents
new or alternative production methods that increase efficiency and/or
reduce chemical use.
• Hair-Save Unhairing Methods in Leather Processing (2000). Regional
Programme for Pollution Control in the Tanning Industry in South-East Asia,

MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES BRIEFING: LEATHER PROCESSING 7

 United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/import/userfiles/puffk/l_hairsave_unhairing.pdf.
This report discusses methods of unhairing that result in lower levels of
contaminated wastewater, compared to traditional chemical unhairing
procedures.
• Re-Use of Chromium in Leather Tanning. United Nations Environment Program
(UNEP) Cleaner Production Case Studies.
http://www.p2pays.org/ref/10/09545.htm.
• EP3-Pollution Prevention Audit for a Sheep Hide Tannery. United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP) Cleaner Production Case Studies.
http://www.p2pays.org/ref/10/09234.htm.
• EP3-Cleaner Production Audit for a Cattle Hide Tannery. United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP) Cleaner Production Case Studies.
http://www.p2pays.org/ref/10/09238.htm.
• Three short case studies of cleaner production in a medium-scale sheep
and cattle hide tanneries. These provide a useful overview of cleaner
production opportunities. Included are cost estimates of cleaner
production methods. The studies also focus on re-use of chemical
effluents.
• Food and Agricultural Industry (1997). United States Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). http://www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/ap42/ch09/final/c9s15.pdf.
The linked chapter on tanning has a good overview of the tanning
process and an intuitive process flow diagram.
• Leather Tanning and Finishing Waste Management Research and Development
Program (1976). United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=9101BG3W.txt.
A quantitative resource on initial steps to take to control pollution (most
especially biological oxygen demand and chromium in wastewater).
• Sahasranaman, A. (1999). Occupational Safety and Health in the Tanning
Industry: Emerging Challenges. International Union of Leather Technologists and
Chemists Societies (IULTCS) Congress held in Chennai, India, January 1999.
http://leather.webindia.com/safety.html.
This short report lists worker safety issues associated with tanneries and
provides policy strategies for addressing these issues.
• Sources, Detection and Avoidance of Hexavalent Chromium in Leather and
Leather Products (2000). Regional Programme for Pollution Control in the
Tanning Industry in South-East Asia, United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO).
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/import/userfiles/puffk/hexavalent.pdf.
This document evaluates a variety of tanning production methods to see
which produce dangerous levels of chromium IV, a by-product of
chromium III usage. Technical in some sections, but the general
discussion on which methods produce the most danger is quite
accessible.

MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES BRIEFING: LEATHER PROCESSING 8

 • "Tanning and Leather Finishing" (1998). In Pollution Prevention and Abatement
Handbook. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.
http://www1.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/7d72fb00488553bab04cf26a6515bb18/tan
ning_PPAH.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=7d72fb00488553bab04cf26a6515
bb18.
This chapter from the World Bank's pollution prevention handbook
provides minimum pollution standards for tanneries and leather finishers.
Other Resources:
• Money, Catherine A. Curing of Hides and Skins: Alternative Methods. Australia:
CSIRO Leather Research Centre. http://www.csiro.au/files/files/pez8.pdf.
These two papers present alternative methods of hide preparation and
unhairing. There is a short discussion of current methods and alternative
methods that can improve quality.
• Pojer, Peter M. and Chi P. Huynh (2009). A Salt-Free Pickling Regime for Hides
and Skins. Australia: CSIRO Leather Research Centre.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/95760042/A-Salt-free-Pickling-Regime.
Provides information on eliminating the salt pickle method of preparing
hides for tanning.
• Tanneries and the Environment: A Technical Guide to Reducing the
Environmental Impact of Tannery Operations (1991). Technical Report Series
No. 4. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)..
Extensive discussion of environmental issues associated with tanneries,
with possible solutions.

MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES BRIEFING: LEATHER PROCESSING 9