To address that, the company now operates a “re-tanning” operation in Leon, Mexico, called BioPolymer SynTec.
The line puts Pangea’s leather shavings through a process that pulls out synthetic chemicals and replaces them with a bio-based chemical that reduces waste from Pangea’s tanneries.
The resulting material is a leather that Pangea believes is aesthetically superior to what customers are used to. But more important, the CEO said, the biochemicals reduce Pangea’s carbon footprint and lower the cost structure.
There is more potential for lower-cost genuine leather, he added, and changing the chemistry of tanning will play a big role.
“What the market wants is more sustainability,” he said. “We think sustainability shouldn’t cost customers more — it should cost less. By taking cost out of our material, we believe we can make leather more competitive and make sustainability more accessible.”
