Nera, the company that leather chemicals group Royal Smit & Zoon set up in 2021 to bring new tanning solutions to market, has successfully bid to secure Cradle-to-Cradle Certified Material Health certification for its Zeology system, reports Leatherbiz.

Smit & Zoon introduced Zeology, a new chrome-free, heavy metal-free and aldehyde-free tanning system based on the mineral zeolite, in October 2020.

The Cradle-to-Cradle Products Innovation Institute issues its Material Health Certificate to applicant companies for products that meet rigorous, science-based requirements, based on assessing, optimising and verifying the safety and circularity of the chemicals and materials used to make the products. It has certified Zeology at platinum level, the highest possible.

According to Nera’s ventures manager, Pim Wilgenburg, Zeology is the only tanning system so far to earn platinum-level certification. He said: “This is a great reward for our efforts in making the leather value chain, and the tanning process in particular, more sustainable without compromising on leather performance.”