Newsletter 2/2021 from Cotance, The European Leather Association

  Leather is not boring!

Uninformed consumers seeking new, trendy products are quick to confine leather to its most traditional applications: footwear, clothing, accessories. They tend to take a reductive view limited to its best-known qualities - finesse, durability, and patina – in their haste to embrace new “alternative” materials lauded in the Media as “green”.

While there is no disputing the unmistakable qualitative advantages that make leather a classic choice for these traditional uses, its applications are constantly evolving and surprising. Ever more efficient and astonishing innovations mean leather can be used in almost all areas of everyday/modern life. No other traditional material has lent itself to such extensive renewal, integrating technology into the heart of production. 

Thanks to R&D, today’s leather can be conductive, tactile, washable, stretchy, flame-retardant, water-repellent, anti-UV or reflective, meeting most of the needs of modern life. The tanning industry is constantly working on new technological developments.

These innovations have introduced new possibilities, particularly when it comes to using this material for interior decoration and furnishings. It is now possible to produce leathers that can endure almost any environment thanks to specific treatments that make them suitable for use in most areas of the home: as a floor or wall covering, in furniture and for decorative objects. We can even opt for weather-resistant garden furniture made from leather.

For clothing, leather can now be machine washed, and be made as soft and comfortable as cotton through stretch technology. It can also be worn in summer thanks to anti-UV treatment. Gloves can now be made from tactile leather for easy smartphone and tablet use without needing to take them off!

There have also been some remarkable innovations in footwear. Leather can be water-repellent, and waterproof, but also breathable, sweat-resistant, and hypoallergenic.
 
No, leather is not boring! Leather is the target of constant innovation, with many more surprises in store...

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