On the eve of Lineapelle, Leather & Luxury had the opportunity to talk about new sustainable tanning products with Mauro Vannucci of Nuova Impala Tannery.
What prompted you to create the chrome free and metal free series? The demands of the customers or brands you work with? Or the general sustainability philosophy of your company, which I perceive to be the foundational basis of your work?
For several years now, we have set ourselves the goal of limiting our impact on the environment and minimizing the waste of resources, working toward reducing and zeroing the emissions of hazardous substances in the tanning production chain. To this end, also encouraged by some major brands that have always aimed to preserve the environment and people's well-being, we have developed a new type of metal-free tanning, which we have called Canapimp. This is a new leather tanning process made with substances derived from hemp oils (waste from the food chain, otherwise destined for landfill or incinerator). This allowed us to offer a leather product without metal content (chromium, aluminum, iron, titanium, zinc), resulting in biodegradable and compostable leathers. Given the increasing attention and importance given to sustainability, this new process has attracted strong interest from some of the major Italian and international brands.
What are the next steps for the company? Do you have plans and news in sight?
Our main goal right now is to reduce emissions. Our tannery is actively involved in the Zero Discharges project, promoted by ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals). As you know, the Foundation has set the ambitious goal of reducing emissions of hazardous substances in the leather and textile production chain to zero, a commitment we share and actively support. In addition, in order to make our operations more efficient, we are making ourselves self-sufficient in energy needs by using energy from renewable sources and by installing photovoltaic systems.
