Leading the way
to multiple
repurposing paths

Ecotan leathers are made of natural, sustainable materials and offer a variety of second life options.

Products designed to be fully circular are the necessary next step if we are to preserve our planet and ensure a bright future for our children and generations to come. Circular materials engineered to be repurposed at end of life are becoming more available to designers. Thanks to this approach, finished products can eventually rejoin nature’s cycle.

In a most radical innovation from Silvateam, every component of Ecotan leather (tanning agents, retanning agents and finishes) is engineered to be biocircular.

Unlike most modern materials competing to be less bad for the planet, at the end of a long, useful life, Ecotan leather can embark on various repurposing paths, including becoming a fertilizer for crops grown to certified organic standards.

Ecotan leather scraps and articles are given a new life as a fertilizer that releases back to nature the nutrients originally taken ‘on loan’ from the hide.

A chemical process, called hydrolysis, is used to break down leather proteins into simpler molecules made up of carbon and nitrogen. The result, a protein hydrolysate, is used to make a granular fertilizer that contains organic substances, nitrogen and phosphorus, engineered for use in organic agriculture.

The upcycling of the Ecotan leathers may occur at different levels:
  • Tannery: shavings and trimmings
  • Cutting rooms: scraps
  • Finished products: spent leathers

A viable commercial path

This is why we believe the technology of our partner Fertilizzanti Certaldo, a leading Italian company specialized in organo-mineral fertilizers from high quality organic matrix, is a turning point for the leather industry and the biocircularity of leather.

Our partner is ready to receive any shavings, scraps, and recycled finished or used Ecotan leathers and turn them into a fertilizer suitable for organic agriculture. Silvateam, together with this partner, will ensure that every finished leather marketed under the Ecotan brand complies with the recyclability requirements of this company and is tested accordingly.

Made to be reborn. Biocircularity 360°

Over the past two years, we have carried out extensive analyses to showcase the beneficial properties of Ecotan leather and its numerous second-life options. In collaboration with our scientific partner, CTC Ars Tinctoria, we developed the "Made to be Reborn" Protocol. This protocol includes testing Ecotan Leather for its transformation into biofertilizers and biochar, as well as its biodegradability in compost. Furthermore, we conducted tests such as Plant Response and Ecotoxicity to gain a deeper understanding of its environmental impact.

Second Life Goals

Biofertilizer
Biodegradability
Compost
Managed disposal
Energy recovery
Biochar

The Ecotan biofertilizer is:

  • Organic farming compliant
  • Released slowly over time, reducing the overall quantity of fertilizer needed to grow crops
  • High in nutrients such as organic nitrogen and carbon content
  • Used to improve soil fertility by stimulating the activity of soil microorganisms
  • Hydroxiproline, an amino acid constituting collagen fibers, shows great biostimulant activity and allows slow release of organic nitrogen into the soil