Sharing our knowledge: Position papers At Nera, we believe that sharing our extensive knowledge on Zeology tanning contributes to a more sustainable leather value chain. Therefore, we are making make our insights, experience and knowledge of Zeology available through the University of Zeology. As we are continuously gaining more insights, we will be making new knowledge available regularly. Learn more about how you can contribute to a more sustainable leather value chain, by choosing zeolite-based tanning with Zeology. Dive in!
Three important certifications for Zeology
Quality and safety of our products are of the utmost importance to us and certifications help us prove that Zeology complies with international industry standards and legal requirements.
Recycling vs. composting. What makes sustainable sense for the fashion industry ?
It’s no news that our ‘throwaway’ consumer lifestyles lead to billions of tonnes of clothes and shoes being dumped yearly. Most of this ends up in landfills or exported to poorer countries, where it pollutes land and water there—a practice known as waste colonialism. Speaking at COP 28, Neesha-Ann Longdon of the OR Foundation explained that, of the 15 million garments arriving at Ghana’s Kantamanto second-hand market each week, ‘around 40% is waste that cannot be repaired, upcycled or sold’.
In Forbes’ article ‘Mass Recycling Of Fashion Is Years Away; Is Composting An Alternative?‘ , Brooke Roberts-Islam, dives into the possibilities of composting as a (more) sustainable option to recycling
Responsible sourcing of aluminium/bauxite for Zeology
Zeolites contain aluminium atoms. The basic raw materials for the production of our zeolites are alumina trihydrate, sand and caustic soda. Alumina trihydrate (also known as ATH and aluminium trihydroxide) is produced from mined bauxite.
Publication: Modified zeolites as sustainable alternatives to traditional tanning chemistries
The journal Green Chemistry has published a scientific paper on Zeology as the sustainable, versatile and game-changing alternative in leather tanning. The article is entitled “Zeolites as Sustainable Alternatives to Traditional Tanning Chemistries” and available here.
Biodegradability of Zeo White
The biodisintegration of Zeo White is found to be rapid and results in almost complete compostability and aqueous biodegradation. Zeo White compost is well bioassimilated and shows a positive effect on plant growth.
The overall biodegradability of leather is influenced by the selection of chemistry applied throughout the leather making process. For end-of-life scenarios such as oceans, water effluent treatment plants, and compost, Zeo White is expected to be biodegradable.
Zeology, a perfect fit for white leather
What is a metal tannage?
The tanning processes
Although the processing conditions are very similar to those of wet blue and GDA wet white tanning, the chemistry of Zeology tanning is different. For its execution, conventional wet blue and wet white processes can be used as a basis, both for structure and duration. However, to successfully convert pelts into Zeo White, you will have to take some specifics into consideration.