Editing Leather (section)

==Environmental impact==
{{Clothing and the environment}}
Leather produces some environmental impact, most notably due to:
* The carbon footprint of cattle rearing (see [[environmental impact of meat production]])
* Use of chemicals in the tanning process (e.g., [[chromium]], [[phthalate|phthalate esters]], [[nonoxynols|nonyl phenol ethoxylate soaps]], [[pentachlorophenol]] and [[solvent]]s)
* Air pollution due to the transformation process ([[hydrogen sulfide]] is formed during mixing with acids and [[ammonia]] liberated during deliming, solvent vapors)

===Carbon footprint===

Estimates of the [[carbon footprint]] of bovine leather range from 65 to 150&nbsp;kg of CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent per square meter of production.<ref>Chen et al., ''Analyzing the Carbon Footprint of the Finished Bovine Leather: A Case Study of Aniline Leather'' Energy Precidia 61, 2014, p. 1063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.11.1023</ref>

===Water footprint===

One ton of hide or skin generally produces 20 to 80 m<sup>3</sup> of waste water, including chromium levels of 100–400&nbsp;mg/L, sulfide levels of
200–800&nbsp;mg/L, high levels of fat and other solid wastes, and notable pathogen contamination. Producers often add pesticides to protect hides during transport. With solid wastes representing up to 70% of the wet weight of the original hides, the tanning process represents a considerable strain on water treatment installations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miga.org/documents/TanningandLeatherFinishing.pdf|title=Pollution Prevention and Abatement Handbook - Environmental Guidelines for Tanning and Leather Finishing|publisher=Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, World Bank Group|access-date=2 January 2010|archive-date=6 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706030850/https://www.miga.org/documents/TanningandLeatherFinishing.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Disposal===

Leather [[biodegrade]]s slowly—taking 25 to 40 years to [[decompose]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.caltrend.com/interesting-facts-about-leather/|title=Interesting Facts about Leather|date=14 January 2018|publisher=CalTrend|access-date=7 February 2018|archive-date=4 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304085222/https://www.caltrend.com/interesting-facts-about-leather/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2020}} However, vinyl and petrochemical-derived materials take 500 or more years to decompose.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livescience.com/33085-petroleum-derived-plastic-non-biodegradable.html|title=Why Doesn't Plastic Biodegrade?|publisher=LIVESCIENCE|date=2 March 2011|access-date=7 February 2018|archive-date=14 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514060757/https://www.livescience.com/33085-petroleum-derived-plastic-non-biodegradable.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Chemical waste disposal===
[[File:Rajasthani style Leather Jooti,local artwork Jaipur India.jpg|thumb|upright|Rajasthani-style leather [[jutti|jooti]], Jaipur, India]]
Tanning is especially polluting in countries where environmental regulations are lax, such as in India,  the world's third-largest producer and exporter of leather. To give an example of an efficient pollution prevention system, chromium loads per produced tonne are generally abated from 8&nbsp;kg to 1.5&nbsp;kg. [[Volatile organic compounds|VOC]] emissions are typically reduced from 30&nbsp;kg/t to 2&nbsp;kg/t in a properly managed facility. A review of the total pollution load decrease achievable according to the [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elaw.org/system/files/L_scope.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205163846/http://www.elaw.org/system/files/L_scope.pdf|url-status=dead|title=The scope for decreasing pollution load in leather processing|publisher=United Nations Industrial Development Organization Regional Programme for Pollution Control in the Tanning Industry in South-East Asia|date=9 August 2000|access-date=2 January 2010|archive-date=2016-02-05}}</ref> posts precise data on the abatement achievable through industrially proven low-waste advanced methods, while noting, "even though the chrome pollution load can be decreased by 94% on introducing advanced technologies, the minimum residual load 0.15 kg/t raw hide can still cause difficulties when using landfills and composting sludge from wastewater treatment on account of the regulations currently in force in some countries."

In [[Kanpur]], the self-proclaimed "Leather City of World"—with 10,000 tanneries as of 2011 and a city of three million on the banks of the [[Ganges]]—pollution levels were so high, that despite an industry crisis, the pollution control board decided to shut down 49 high-polluting tanneries out of 404 in July 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/How-much-time-needed-to-check-tanneries-waste-HC-to-govt/articleshow/4767069.cms|title=How much time needed to check tanneries' waste|newspaper=Times of India|date=11 July 2009|access-date=2 January 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205004609/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/How-much-time-needed-to-check-tanneries-waste-HC-to-govt/articleshow/4767069.cms|archive-date=5 December 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2003 for instance, the main tanneries' effluent disposal unit was dumping 22 tonnes of chromium-laden solid waste per day in the open.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleanganga.com/articles/june03/chromium.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030822012606/http://www.cleanganga.com/articles/june03/chromium.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 August 2003 |title=Kanpur: chromium disaster |publisher=Clean Ganga - Campaign for a cleaner Ganga |date=June 2003 |access-date=2 January 2010 }}</ref>

In the Hazaribagh neighborhood of Dhaka in [[Bangladesh]], chemicals from tanneries end up in Dhaka's main river. Besides the environmental damage, the health of both local factory workers and the end consumer is also negatively affected.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/10/08/bangladesh-tanneries-harm-workers-poison-communities|title=Hazaribagh neighborhood of Dhaka poisoning staff, local villagers and planet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328091609/https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/10/08/bangladesh-tanneries-harm-workers-poison-communities|publisher=Human Rights Watch |archive-date=28 March 2017|date=8 October 2012|access-date=19 November 2016}}</ref> After approximately 15 years of ignoring high court rulings, the government shut down more than 100 tanneries the weekend of 8 April 2017 in the neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/bangladesh-cuts-power-leather-district-years-health-violations/|title=Bangladesh cuts power to leather district after years of environmental violations|work=PBS NewsHour|access-date=11 April 2017|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412075022/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/bangladesh-cuts-power-leather-district-years-health-violations/|archive-date=12 April 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The higher cost associated with the treatment of effluents than to untreated effluent discharging leads to illegal dumping to save on costs. For instance, in [[Croatia]] in 2001, proper pollution abatement cost US$70–100 per ton of raw hides processed against $43/t for irresponsible behavior.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.rec.org/ecolinks/bestpractices/PDF/croatia_hdko.pdf |title=Introduction of Low Pollution Processes in Leather Production |publisher=EcoLinks |year=2001 |access-date=2 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119162932/http://archive.rec.org/ecolinks/bestpractices/PDF/croatia_hdko.pdf |archive-date=19 January 2010 }}</ref> In November 2009, one of Uganda's main leather making companies was caught directly dumping waste water into a wetland adjacent to [[Lake Victoria]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200911050279.html|title=Uganda: leather factory faces closure over pollution|publisher=The Monitor|date=5 November 2009|access-date=2 January 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604160403/http://allafrica.com/stories/200911050279.html|archive-date=4 June 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>