ISO Certification for Leather Industry

The leather industry is a long-standing manufacturing sector that produces a wide range of products such as leather footwear, bags, clothes, furniture, etc. The raw material utilized in the leather industry comes from food industry waste, notably from meat processing. This waste product is transformed into aesthetically pleasing and functional leather goods. Leather and its products are one of the most widely traded commodities on the planet. They are made from a resource that is both renewable and readily available.

Leather manufacture is a three-step process that involves transforming raw animal skin into the leather which is:

• Preparatory stages
• Tanning
• Crusting

The number of procedures that the hide goes through, which can range from 35 to 55, is determined by the sort of leather that a producer is manufacturing. Leather is a by-product of the meat and dairy industries, and it can be derived from any animal. However, bovine (ox, cow, calf, and buffalo skin) is the most common type of skin utilized in the leather industry, accounting for 64 percent of all leather. Fresh, wet salted, pickled, sun-dried, crust, wet blue, and polished leather are all available for international trade. Leather manufacture has a long and illustrious history. To keep an animal’s skin from decaying, leather has been made for thousands of years by extracting water from bark, wood, or leaves.

There are a lot of companies and brands that produce leather products. For example, Hermès.  Hermès is an independent French company that produces luxury clothing and accessories. Founded in 1837, they offer numerous leather products, including belts, bags, bracelets, shoes, wallets, and more.

What is the Leather Manufacturing Process?

The leather manufacturing process is extensive and intricate. As a result, manufacturers adopt a batch production process to fulfill manufacturing orders (due to supply and time restrictions).

Here are the steps a producer would need to take to make leather:

• Preservation

After the animal is slaughtered, the skin is preserved by drying, salting, or freezing in order to survive the travel to the tannery.

• Beamhouse Operations

The maker starts preparing the hides for tanning at this point. The skin goes through Soaking, Liming, Fleshing, Splitting, and Pickling at this stage. When the hide is ready, it can go through the tanning stage of the leather manufacturing process.

• Tanning

The tannins (chemicals) are absorbed by the skins at this stage, transforming them into leather.

• Neutralizing

The leather manufacturer begins neutralizing the acids left behind from tanning.

• Withering

Metal rolls squeeze out any remaining water from the moist skins. Finally, the material goes through the last stages of processing.

• Sorting

Quality inspections are performed on the leather, and any necessary repairs or adjustments are made at this time. Shaving, dyeing, drying, and softening will all be part of this process.

There are few ISO that we can implement in the Leather Industry. The ISO that can be implemented are consists of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Standard Management, which is intended to lead to improved products and services. Next is ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems, which gives the company the components of an effective environmental management system. Lastly is ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems, which allows the organization to integrate other areas of health and safety, such as worker wellbeing into its occupational health and safety management system.

ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System

ISO 9001 is an international quality management system. The purpose of ISO 9001 is to bring improvement to products and services. The ISO 9001 standard addresses the growing demand for international quality standardization and establishes procedures for monitoring and controlling production or activities, as well as ensuring that work is completed according to agreed-upon specifications and that problems are investigated and corrected. It will build up a quality working environment for continual improvement and increased customer satisfaction. In order to be more effective, the top management and supervisors must be committed to improving the system, implement agreed procedures, and promoting collaborative styles of a working environment.

A tanner is under pressure to put up a complete treatment system and meet all discharge limitations at once which is beyond his technical means. Implementing the ISO 9001 will help in terms of quality management standards as to what an organization needs to fulfill.

ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System

The ISO 14001 is an international standard for environmental management systems. The purpose of ISO 14001 is to give your company the components of an effective environmental management system that will safeguard the environment and respond to environmental changed conditions while also balancing social-economic needs.

There are the key benefits that this certification can bring to the leather industry. It may result in better conformance to environmental regulations, better resources control, higher quality goods and services, better marketability, improved organization image and increased profits in the long run. Many big corporations and governments will seek ISO 14001 certified vendors in order to preserve their own certification and image of environmental stewardship.

Reducing the number of potentially hazardous compounds in a product may result in using fewer expensive hazardous chemicals. This will be able to save costs and provide a safer working environment for the worker. Besides, it’s also can reduce the rates of insurance.

ISO 14001 provides guidelines for material and process management allowing industries to monitor and regulate pollution while avoiding compounding consequences. The manufacturing of leather and leather products generates a large amount of solid, liquid, and gaseous waste. If the waste is properly managed, it can be a valuable resource. One of the most significant pollutants that contribute to air pollution is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is commonly utilized in the leather, oil, and chemical industries. These hazardous gases are emitted into the environment as a result of the growing number of power plants and leather production. With a better environmental management system, the industry needs to find a solution to overcome/eliminate the hazardous gases, liquid, or solid emitted to the environment.

ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health & Safety Management System

ISO 45001 is an International Standard for an occupational health and safety management system. The Purpose of ISO 45001 proactively improves occupational health and safety issues, improving the performance and productivity of the organization.

The leather sector is often leveraged on manpower to fulfill work orders, but due to poor health and safety management system, they always encounter problems of lack of manpower to deliver their order. With ISO 45001, it can protect workers and provide a safe working environment. Other than that, raising awareness of the safety and health of the leather-making process is required.

Workers’ health in the tanning process is influenced by their working environment and conditions. Factors like temperature, humidity, noise, and light quality can impact the safety and health of workers. With the proper health and safety management system, it can improve their workplace safety and architecture and improve process efficiency while also increase productivity.