ILM spoke to the companies and organisations behind the Green Tanning Initiative work in Ethiopia to find out the results of tannery trials as they aim to lower the environmental impact of leathermaking. This exclusive ILM editorial feature is available to read for free on the ILM app for Apple and Android devices.

The Green Tanning Initiative was first launched in Ethiopia in 2018 by leather chemical makers, Stahl and the Dutch NGO’s Solidaridad and MVO Nederland. As of the end of 2021, three project partner tanneries in Ethiopia have conducted successful trials leading to a significantly reduced environmental impact in overall leather processing.

Batu, Pittards and Wallia were the three Ethiopian tanneries involved in the initiative and used the following Stahl chemical techniques and systems as part of the trials: probiotics in the beamhouse, pickle-free tanning systems and ZDHC-compliant chemicals for the retanning and finishing steps.