What is Leather Made Of?
Leather is made from animal hides that have been chemically treated to make them durable. The hides come from a variety of animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and more.
While most people identify leather with cows, the quality of leather depends on a lot of things, mainly on the quality of the hide, which gives an 80-90% yield.
Then, there is a process of tanning where the skin goes through harsh chemicals to save it from disintegrating.
What’s the role of the tanning process?
To use a hide or skin for a leather product, it must be treated. This is known as the tanning process. Tanning alters the chemistry of the leather fibers, making it more difficult for bacterial and fungal enzymes to break them down, resulting in longer-lasting leather.
Key Components of Leather:
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Animal Skins: Leather can be made from many different animal skins, including cows, sheep, goats, buffalo, deer, crocodiles, alligators, kangaroos, seals, and snakes.
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Tanning Agents: to process it for durability, the skin goes through substances like calcium oxide during liming and other chemicals for preservation and texture improvement.
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By-products & Residues: After tanning, many by-products and residues from the meat industry and chemicals are used to provide the final properties of the leather.
Types of Leather by Source
The original leather is made from animal hide. However, since the industry is expanding and some beliefs vouch against animal slaughtering for food or hide, there are many other sources of leather as well.
Here are the different types of leather by a source you need to know:
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Animal Hide:
The hide is a byproduct of the meat industry, and the animals are not grown to produce leather. These principally include the big four: cowhide (67% of worldwide leather production known for durability), sheepskin (13% - soft and preferred for gloves and jackets), goatskin (12% - known for lightweight), and pigskin or exotic animal hide (7% - known for luxury designer bags, etc.).
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Alternative Plant-Based Leathers
In recent years, we've seen the development of vegetable-based imitation leathers created from waste materials such as agave fiber, reclaimed rubber, tomatoes, pineapple fibers, and coconut fibers, many of which rely on adhesives and glue for structural support.
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Plastic and Artificial Leather
Presstoff, one of the first artificial leathers, was manufactured of paper pulp and created in Germany in the nineteenth century!
However, since the 1960s, the majority of artificial leathers have been manufactured with petroleum-based resins (PVC, polyurethane, and acrylic) that coat a fabric backing.
Physical Properties of Leather
The original texture of the leather comes from the source. We talked about the different features of the hides. After the tanning process, the product's usability is enhanced and it finally has to go through the curing process.
Proper curing (preserving) and treatment guarantee that leather's quality remains consistent over time. Leather can become brittle, lose texture, and even rot without these processes. Regular maintenance, such as conditioning, keeps leather supple and durable for years.
Where Does Leather Come From?
Leather is mostly derived from livestock, such as cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep, as byproducts of the meat and wool industries. Crocodiles, alligators, and snakes are among the wild or farmed species used to make exotic leather. As long as there are people eating meat, there will be hides and so will leather.
However, Animal rights organizations have decried the leather industry's slaughter and torture of animals. This mix of practical and ethical issues has fueled demand for synthetic leather alternatives for purses, shoes, apparel, and other fashion goods. By 2015, the artificial leather market was expected to exceed $50 billion.
Global Leather Producers
The top three leather-producing countries by volume are Italy, China, and Brazil, but leather is manufactured in practically every country on the planet. Leather manufacturing in close proximity is still an important aspect of many organizations' supply chains.
What do you need to know about the Leather-Making Process?
Leather production goes through various stages. The most basic steps include:
Pre-Tanning Stages
The manufacturing of leather starts with preparing the skin. How is it prepared? Well, you might find a huge list of steps for it. But here are the main 3:
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Curing: Hides, which refer to animal skins used in leather production, must be kept to prevent deterioration. These preservation procedures frequently include salting, freezing, chilling, or the use of chemicals.
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Soaking: The hides or skins are soaked in water to remove dirt, blood, and other contaminants. This also softens the hides, preparing them for the following procedure.
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Liming: While liming has several objectives, the major aim of this procedure is to eliminate any undesirable hair from the hide by introducing alkali. After the hair is removed, we are left with raw animal skin. This is more typically known as a pelt.
Tanning Process
The skins are turned into rot proof leather (i.e., non-decomposing), which is resistant to hot water and has a low water content, using tannins, which are compounds comprising vegetable or mineral salts or a mixture of them.
Post-Tanning Processes
This is the last phase of the leather manufacturing process. While we can break it down into different steps, let’s keep it simple.
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Splitting and Fleshing: As the name implies, fleshing is the act of putting a pelt through a machine to remove any tissue from the flesh side. A pelt may also be separated into layers at this time.
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Finishing: This is the final aspect of the leather-making process. In this phase, the leather is enhanced using a variety of methods. A final film of multiple layers is applied to protect the leather, improve its function, and create attractive colors and patterns.
Leather’s Role in Various Industries
The leather business significantly contributes to the global economy, earning billions of dollars each year and employing millions worldwide. Developing countries, particularly those with plentiful cattle resources, frequently play an important role in leather production, exporting finished leather and leather goods to markets worldwide.
In addition to its economic influence, the leather industry has a significant social and cultural impact on many communities, sustaining traditional craftsmanship and supporting local livelihoods.
And the most significant value of leather is in the products we use on a daily basis.
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Fashion and Accessories: Leather is used in products like belts, jackets that we love, and also shoes or any luxury handbags.
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Furniture and Automotive Upholstery: now, be it car seats or interior decor, leather is seen there too. Also, you can find some people preferring leather sofas.
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Other Uses: other uses of leather include saddles, sports tools, and sometimes high-end items for many different industries.
Sustainability and Ethical Considerations
New environmental legislation imposed on all sectors of the industry in countries around the world resulted in advancements not only for environmental reasons but also for ethical and social sustainability (particularly in terms of animal welfare) and economic (such as a commitment to fair trade).
The new standards require the leather sector to implement sustainability and ethical livestock management methods. Farmers, tanners, and factory units can only survive if they follow the new rules and high standards.
New technologies and machinery are also being created to benefit leather production, resulting in more success and integrity for the sector and its producers.
Conclusion
Now, wherever you reside in the world, your love for leather products will remain timeless. Just know the original leather and also always be aware of whether the products are made from sustainable and ethical practices or not.
All you need is the right product in your hand; the rest is your time to slay.
The best part about products like womens leather jackets and shoes is they can be combined in any kind of fashion style.
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