At Stahl, we work closely with our partners to shape a better chemicals industry. We support tanners with low-impact chemical solutions to help them meet growing demand for sustainably produced leathers. Our portfolio of wet-end leather chemicals complies with rising environmental standards without sacrificing leather quality.
Our wet-end solutions form part of our low-impact Stahl Neo® portfolio. This means they comply with the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL).
Stahl’s wet-end portfolio comprises leather chemicals for beamhouse, tanning, re-tanning, fat-liquoring, waterproofing, and wet-end dyeing. All our solutions are designed with sustainability in mind, enabling tanners to produce leather responsibly in keeping with today’s environmental requirements.
The wet-end leather production process
The wet-end leather production process includes all steps in the beamhouse and tanning stages, starting from the cured hides arriving at the beamhouse.
Beamhouse – Soaking, liming, and degreasing
Once at the beamhouse, the hides and skins are soaked to reabsorb water lost during curing and transportation, or after flaying. During soaking, the hides are also cleaned to remove salt, blood, and dirt. Next, hairs, epidermis, and interfibrillar proteins are removed during liming. Finally, fats and greases are removed to improve the penetration of tanning materials and dyes and to make the leather soft and pliable.
Tanning – Deliming, bating, and tanning
During the deliming stage, the hides and skins are cleaned to remove the chemicals used during liming. The pH value is also reduced to prepare them for bating. During bating, the hides are treated with enzymes to soften them while maintaining their flexibility and firmness. Scud and unwanted proteins are also removed. After bating and – if required – pickling, the tanning agents are applied to the hides, converting the collagen structure to leather.
Retanning, dyeing, fat-liquoring, and waterproofing
Retanning helps to further stabilize the collagen network of the leather. The hides are colored with wet-end dyes. Oils and greases are used on the leather to prevent stiff leather cracking when it is bent acutely during fat-liquoring. When water resistance is required, the leather is treated with waterproofing agents.
Stahl offers tanners a variety of solutions that span the entire wet-end leather production process. For a complete overview of our wet-end chemicals portfolio, please download the product catalog below.
Stahl has a complete portfolio of wet-end leather chemicals, which enables tanners to produce high-quality leather more sustainably. Click on the links in the table below to find the products you need.
| Wet-End Portfolio next steps: | |
|---|---|
| Beamhouse | |
| Tanning | |
| Retanning | |
| Fatliquoring | |
| Waterproofing | |
| Wet-End leather dyes |
