Design Life-Cycle

Alex Korobkov

Professor Cogdell

Des 40

15 March 2023

Acquisition of Raw Materials for Leather Belt Production: An Analysis

This analysis includes the process a leather belt undergoes from the farm to the tannery, where leather for the belt is manufactured, and the mines, where materials like iron are mined for the belt buckle. This paper details the connective processes a leather belt and a buckle would typically undergo in their lifecycle, from the raw materials acquisition, to the manufacturing process, to the distribution and usage and, later, to recycling and waste management. Leather belts represent a complicated challenge in sustainability, as they could produce very little waste and could be recycled, which is environmentally friendly. At the same time, the acquisition and production of the raw materials for leather belts is riddled with environmental and animal welfare challenges, from the treatment of cows to fossil fuel generation. This analysis is part of a larger collaborative project that analyzes all parts of the design lifecycle of leather belts, this part of the larger project particularly focuses on raw material acquisition and its relationship to its current and potential sustainability of the leather belt product.

Leather belts have been a prominent article of clothing in fashion and include a complicated production process. But what process does the leather belt undergo to get to the consumer? To unpack and better understand this process, we first have to understand what raw materials go into the production of leather belts. The belt in itself contains two main components: the belt and the buckle. The acquisition of the raw materials of these elements includes the usage of the tannery where hides from cows are extracted and then tanned into leather using a solution that halts decomposition. The buckle, on the other hand, is even more complex, due to the fact that the materials that make up the buckle could be more diverse. There are buckles, made with gold, silver, steel, and, in some cases, bronze. Typically, the raw materials for belts have to be mined and taken to a facility where a metal is combined with minerals like zinc to be pressed and molded into a buckle. Through the acquisition of raw materials and the energy required to produce leather belts, there isn’t a lot of waste; however, the way the raw materials are retrieved and manufactured could be done in a more environmentally friendly way. The treatment of the materials of the leather belt product present both challenges and opportunities for sustainability. The recycling process yields potential towards minimizing waste from the materials acquired.

In terms of the production and treatment of leather, leather produces little waste, adding to the environmental sustainability potential of this product; however, the production itself shows sustainability challenges. For example, the production of leather entails the process of taking a hide from a cow and then preserving it in a tannery using a copious amount of salt to stop decomposition. This step is known as the curing phase. The next step in the process is to use lime solution (Ca(OH)2(aq) to remove the hairs from the leather (Maina et. al). A chromium salt mix and vegetable tanning agents which contain tree bark are added. The leather is later drained from excess water and retanned a second time using a drying process. As far as sustainability goes, the production of leather could be made more sustainable. According to Caroline Lennon, the tanning process of tanning leather utilizes toxic chemicals, including “ammonia; cyanide-based dyes, formaldehyde; and lead. Some of these products are carcinogenic, and all are environmental pollutants, which end up released into the air, ground, and water supply” (Lennon). The tanning of leather entails two types of tanning, one which uses chromium salts and the various chemicals listed above. The other process which is less common because of the time the process takes and its difficulty is vegetable tanning which uses tannin and tree bark. Vegetable tanning is primarily used for expensive leather. The production of leather has been also linked to deforestation and large water usage especially in the tanning phase of its production. Leather goes into a drum of water and chromium salts where the hide is supposed to be preserved. This requires the usage of toxic chemicals which are now being regulated by governing bodies. Additionally, deforestation is a large problem in leather production, according to George Varagiannis, “In order to produce less than nine leather jackets, one hectare of land in Brazil must be cleared or kept cleared” (Varagiannis). It goes without mentioning that in accordance with deforestation and the other chemicals involved in the acquisition of leather, petroleum or gas is used in order to transport the raw materials to assemblies where the leather belt gets assembled. Additionally, transportation of leather often results in fossil fuel emissions, since the material is shipped from tanneries all over the world to main exporters like China, USA, and other assembly hubs. Leather material acquisition is thus linked to environmentally unsustainable practices that could lead to deforestation, excessive water usage, release of fossil fuels, and the introduction of toxic chemicals into the environment.

The buckle of the belt is more nuanced than the leather, in terms of acquisition, production, and sustainability potential, because there is more variety of the materials used. According to Elliot Rhodes, “For more classic buckles we generally use a process of microfusion where steel moulds are created and molten brass or zinc is forced into the moulds at high pressure. We can also use die cutting where a solid sheet, normally brass, is pressed into with a die so that the desired shape is pressed out of the sheet itself” (Rhodes). Additionally, silver is another common ingredient in the belt buckle more specifically sterling silver which is a combination of copper and silver alloy. Some belts are made with brass which is a copper and zinc alloy. Another material commonly used in the creation of the belt buckle is stainless steel which is a metal alloy containing steel, nickel, chromium and molybdenum. Another common material in belts is zinc alloy. Zinc alloy consists of zinc, copper, aluminum and magnesium (“Guide To Western Belt Buckles”).

Despite the buckle having a variety of different materials in its production, the production of belt buckles produces numerous sustainability challenges, similar to the acquisition of leather. Silver is a popular material in the production of belt buckles however, according to Lars D. Hylander and Åsa Melhus, most silver production results in large emissions of mercury to air, soil, and water (Hylander and Melhus). Additionally, research shows that silver supply is going to peak soon which means that recycling the raw material will become a necessity to keep it in production. According to Harald Sverdrup, Deniz Koca, and Kristin Vala Ragnarsdottir, “the silver production is expected to go through a peak in the 2030s, and because of the rapid use and the very limited amount of silver available, future silver supply to industry is soon at risk”, to run out by 2075 (Sverdup et al.). After 2100, most silver supply to society will have to come from recycling and urban mining of the in-use stock in society. There is no obvious remedy to the situation available at the moment, except increasing recycling rate and better use efficiency. Brass is another popular substance in the production of the belt buckle. Since brass consists of a copper and zinc alloy, mining these substances produces fossil fuels which, in turn, bolster the global warming effect. Although brass releases fossil fuels, it is a sustainable substance in terms of its ability to be recycled. According to the Copper Development Association, the recycling process for brass is less energy-intensive as compared to aluminum and steel and yields a smaller carbon footprint (“Brass Recyclability”). The mining processes connected to most of the materials used in buckle production are linked to fossil fuels. Similarly, as previously stated, the transportation of raw materials -- inclusive of zinc, iron, and silver -- produces fossil fuels. Although there are some materials that are easier to recycle such as brass, there are materials that are becoming more scarce and release toxic chemicals into the air as a byproduct of its production such as silver. 

Focusing on the components of the leather belt production illuminates problems and opportunities in terms of sustainability. Leather belts can be easily recycled with little waste, which presents an opportunity and model for environmental sustainability. However, the acquisition of the most common materials used to make a leather belt in totality, such as leather, silver, brass, and all the minerals that go into the buckle component, use environmentally unsustainable practices. The leather material itself undergoes a process where toxic chemicals like chromium salts and ammonium are utilized and later wasted and put out into the environment. The process of obtaining leather can lead to deforestation and introduction of toxic chemicals. As discussed in the analysis, there are multiple avenues where leather production is deemed unsustainable and many improvements can be made to improve the acquisition process of the raw material. The second component to the belt is the buckle which standardly utilizes different materials, such as silver, brass, and iron. Most of the materials involved in the production of the buckle must be mined, and the mining process produces fossil fuels. However, some metals and minerals are becoming more scarce. For example, it will become more necessary to recycle silver in the near future as the metal is becoming more scarce as time goes by. Although the leather belt could be seen as the most sustainable option when it comes to belts due to its recyclability and little waste production, most standard practices of raw material acquisition still pose various environmental hurdles in making the leather and buckle production more sustainable.

Works Cited

“Fibre Briefing: Leather.” Common Objective. 2021. https://www.commonobjective.co/article/fibre-briefing-leather#:~:text=As%20currently%20practised%2C%20leather%20production,land%20overuse%2C%20and%20gas%20emissions. Accessed 15 March 2023. 

“Guide to Western Belt Buckles.” Pinto Ranch. 11 Oct. 2022. https://pintoranch.com/blogs/pinto-post/guide-to-western-belt-buckles. Accessed 15 March 2023.

Lennon, Caroline. “Leather Is More Than “a By-Product of the Meat Industry.” One Green Planet. 2021. https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/leather-is-more-than-a-by-product-of-the-meat-industry/. Accessed 15 March 2023. 

Maina, Peter, Ollengo, Moses and Nthiga, Esther. “Trends in leather processing: A Review.”  International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications (IJSRP) 9(12). 2019. https://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-1219.php?rp=P969423#citation. Accessed 15 March 2023. 

Melhus, Asa and Hylander, Lars. “Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) Silver - a toxic threat to our health and environment.” Environment Health. http://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/silver_fact_sheet.pdf. Accessed 15 March 2023.

Rhodes, Elliot. “Buckle Fact Sheet.” elliotrhodes.com. https://elliotrhodes.com/pages/about-buckles#:~:text=For%20more%20classic%20buckles%20we,out%20of%20the%20sheet%20itself. Accessed 15 March 2023. 

Sverdrup, Harald, Deniz Koca, and Kristin Vala Ragnarsdottir. "Investigating the sustainability of the global silver supply, reserves, stocks in society and market price using different approaches." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 83. 2014: 121-140.

The Copper Development Association, “Brass Recyclability.” Copper.org. https://copper.org/publications/pub_list/pdf/a7034-Brass-Recyclability.pdf. Accessed 15 March 2023. 

“Where Does Leather Come from?” MAHI Leather. 23 Mar. 2017, https://mahileather.com/blogs/news/where-does-leather-come-from. Accessed 15 March 2023. 

Varagiannis, George. “How leather supply chains around the globe are tied to deforestation“ Collective Fashion Justice. 14 Aug. 2021. https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/articles/leather-lobbying-and-deforestation#:~:text=Leather's%20destruction%20of%20the%20Amazon,to%20rear%20animals%20as%20products.  Accessed 15 March 2023. 

Mackenzie Smith

Alexander Korobkov, Liam Hattevik

DES40A

Professor Cogdell

15 March 2023

Life Cycle Paper: Belts

Section A02

            Fashion is everywhere. We can express ourselves with the coats that keep us warm, the shoes that keep our feet dry, and even with the strip of leather that holds up our pants. Belts are considered an essential accessory due to its fashion, but more importantly, its practicality. The first belt was made out of leather. It was a unique commodity that linked the rural farmer to the fashion world. [1] Belts can be made out of other materials, although when looking through the lens of embodied energy, the method which aims to find the sum total of energy necessary for an entire product life cycle, leather is the best option. Leather consumes the least amount of energy from material extraction at the beginning to disposal at the end of its life, making it the most sustainable and durable option.

            The basic anatomy of a belt includes a strap holding a buckle. Along the strap is a keeper loop. The buckle, usually made from stainless steel or copper, contains a metal bar and prong held together by a frame. Stainless steel metal is formed when the raw materials of nickel, iron ore, chromium, along with others are melted together and excess carbon is removed. [3]

            The strap can be made of various materials, one being cotton. Cotton provides a comfortable and flexible fit with the ability to be washed. Although, cotton requires 10,000 liters of water for one kilogram of cotton, meaning global cotton production requires 250 billion tons of water annually. On top of the absurd water requirement, cotton causes 43 million tons of pesticide-laden dust to be blown in the air every year. [4] The forms of energy used to grow cotton are thermal, chemical, and kinetic energy. Thermal energy is used through solar energy from the sun, chemical energy is used through plant photosynthesis and kinetic energy is used because the water consumption.

            Another material a belt strap can be made from is rubber. Rubber straps don’t fade color easily, is waterproof, and very durable. There are two common types of rubber: natural and synthetic. Natural rubber comes from latex sap while synthetic rubber is a byproduct of petroleum. Natural rubber has been linked to deforestation and pesticide use during the cultivation of the latex sap producing trees. In the Mekong region of Asia, about 3 million hectares of forest have been cleared since the 2000. [5] The energy types used throughout the acquisition of rubber are thermal, chemical, and kinetic energy. Thermal energy is used because of the solar energy used to grow the latex sap producing trees, chemical energy is used by natural rubber through photosynthesis while synthetic rubber uses fossil fuels. Kinetic energy is used because of water usage.

            Finally, there is leather. The most popular leather for a belt is full grain leather also known as calf skin. In order to acquire the calf skin, cows need to be raised. Requiring chemical energy because of the food the cows eat and the animal’s metabolism. Raising the cows also uses kinetic energy because of the water the cows drink and the water it takes to maintain the pastureland. Although about 430 million cows are killed per year for fashion products, tanneries tend to receive the by-products of slaughterhouses, meaning when the hide of the cow is used, so is the rest of the cow. Another notable sustainability factor is that raising the cows uses less water than cotton or rubber and causes no deforestation.

            At this point of the lifecycle, all the raw materials have been acquired. However, the manufacturing of the product has just begun. The bulk of pollution lies within the pre-tanning and tanning processes of leather. [6] The pre-tanning and tanning processes include prepping the hide, a lime bath, tanning, curing, and dying the leather, resulting in the use of chemical and kinetic energy. Lime salt baths remove the skin and hair by soaking the hide. This is a major source of pollution from tanneries.

            The leather industry has noticed the growing concern for the environment and is experimenting with cost-effective alternatives. For example, a vegetable tanning method which creates less pollution and less salt/no salt curing. While there is a huge tally on the environment during the tanning process of leather belts, although there is a large amount of pollution from the pre-tanning and tanning process, the pollution from the pre-tanning and tanning process creates 80-90% of all pollution during the leather belt creation process. [7] As for the buckle of the belt, stainless steel is formed into the metal, gone through a heat treatment using thermal energy, and is cut and shaped using mechanical energy. After these steps are complete, the belt is done being manufactured and ready to be transported and distributed.

            Most belts come from China while most good quality leather belts are imported from Italy. Consumers tend to feel comforted by a tag with the statement “Imported from Italy”, when really this could just mean that the leather was imported and finished in Italy. [8] It is difficult to truly know exactly where a product is being transported from because animal hides are bought, transported, and carried out in developing countries from Ethiopia, Cambodia, Vietnam, where the exploitation of humans, animals, and pollution can all go on unregulated allowing companies to produce larger quantities cheaply. [9] Generally, most goods sold in America are from China. China and the United States are linked internally and externally through global air cargo trade networks. [10] No matter where the belt comes from, planes, trucks, trains, and ships all use the same type of energy: kinetic and chemical energy.

            At this stage, a happy consumer is purchasing the belt from a department store. There was not much data for the average lifespan of a cotton or plastic belt. The average cost of a cotton belt was roughly $10.00-$20.00 and the average for a plastic belt was $1.00-$5.00. Based on the cost of the belt, the lifespan is most likely short. The average lifespan for a rubber belt is roughly 3 years compared to a leather belt averaging at 5-10 years. Leather belts have the unique fashion ability of timelessness and is known to be reused. Some ways to reuse a leather belt is handles for a tote bag, a dog collar, curtain holders, hanging shelves, etc. Along with being reused in various DIY house projects, leather belts are also commonly found and repurchased at thrift stores while other materials are sent off to the dumps.

            All the popular materials for belts can be recycled. But just because an item can be recycled, does not mean it isn’t problematic. The most problematic recyclable material is plastic. Plastics use additional additives to make them stronger and more durable. The issue with these additional additives is that these stronger plastics take longer to break down. Some plastics can take up to 400 years to break down. Plastic pollution can be found all around the world through microplastics. [12] Plastic is notably the worst material to be recycled. Both synthetic and natural rubber can be recycled. Natural rubbers are even biodegradable, it just takes decades. While synthetic rubbers won’t biodegrade and will end its life in the landfill because synthetic rubber is made from byproducts of petroleum. Leather can also be recycled, but most of the population repurposes leather rather than tossing it.

            It is important to mention that just because leather is the best option, when considering lifecycle energy and cost, but it does not mean that it requires a significant less amount of energy. There are many other materials that can substitute leather as a cheaper or more widely accessible option, but leather has proven itself to be the longest lasting and environmentally ethical material. The lifecycle of any product pollutes the soil, the atmosphere, uses water, creates waste, and ultimately harms the environment. The fashion industry is considered the second most polluting industry after the oil sector. [2] If the health of the environment is a consumer’s priority, the best compromise is to sacrifice the fashion statement of wearing a belt and to buy pants that fit you. But if a consumer needs to succumb to a trendy accessory, leather is the best choice.

Sources Cited:

[1] Thanikaivelan, Palanisamy, et al. “Recent Trends in Leather Making: Processes, Problems, and     Pathways.” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 35, no. 1,        2005, pp. 37–79., https://doi.org/10.1080/10643380590521436.

[2] Greenblatt, Drew. “How Is Stainless Steel Made?” Custom Wire Products and Metal Fabrication, Marlin Steel, 31 Jan. 2020, https://www.marlinwire.com/blog/how-is-    stainless-steel-made.

[3] Larsen, Esben, and Karsten Bjerring Olsen. “Cotton Farming Water Consumption.” The World       Counts, https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/clothing/cotton-            farming-water-consumption.

[4] Totp. “Is Rubber Bad for the Environment? It Depends!” Think of the Pandas, 14 May 2022, https://thinkofthepandas.com/2022/01/04/is-rubber-bad-for-the-environment-it-depends/.

[5] Thanikaivelan, Palanisamy, et al. “Recent Trends in Leather Making: Processes, Problems, and     Pathways.” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 35, no. 1,        2005, pp. 37–79., https://doi.org/10.1080/10643380590521436.

[6] Thanikaivelan, Palanisamy, et al. “Recent Trends in Leather Making: Processes, Problems, and     Pathways.” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 35, no. 1,        2005, pp. 37–79., https://doi.org/10.1080/10643380590521436.

[7] Siegle, Lucy. “Is It Time to Give up Leather?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Mar. 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/mar/13/is-it-time-to-give-up- leather-animal-welfare-ethical-lucy-siegle.

[8] Siegle, Lucy. “Is It Time to Give up Leather?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Mar. 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/mar/13/is-it-time-to-give-up- leather-animal-welfare-ethical-lucy-siegle.

[9] Walcott, Susan M., and Zhang Fan. “Comparison of Major Air Freight Network Hubs in the U.S.      and China.” Journal of Air Transport Management, vol. 61, June 2017, pp. 64–72.,             https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2016.06.006.

[10] Parker, Laura. “The World's Plastic Pollution Crisis Explained.” Environment Explainer,          National Geographic, 3 May 2021,         https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution.

[11] Brun, Alessandro, and Federica Ciccullo. “Factors Affecting Sustainability‐Oriented Innovation in the Leather Supply Chain.” Strategic Change, vol. 31, no. 3, 1 May 2022, pp. 305– 321., https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2500.

Full Bibliography

Books:

Macbride, David. The Art of Tanning and Currying Leather: With an Account of All the Different    Processes Made Use of in Europe and Asia, for Dying Leather Red and Yellow. J.   Nourse, 1780.

Siegle, Lucy. To Die for: Is Fashion Wearing out the World? Fourth Estate, 2011.

Thanikaivelan, Palanisamy, et al. “Recent Trends in Leather: Processes, Problems, and        Pathways.” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 35, no. 1,        2005, pp. 37–79., https://doi.org/10.1080/10643380590521436.

Walcott, Susan M., and Zhang Fan. “Comparison of Major Air Freight Network Hubs in the U.S.      and China.” Journal of Air Transport Management, vol. 61, June 2017, pp. 64–72.,             https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2016.06.006.

Articles:

Aftab, Umar. “Pollution Control in Leather Industry Submitted by - Researchgate.” Research Gate, Dr. Anam Naz, 7 May 2020, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341202645_Pollution_Control_In_Leather_Industry_Submitted_by

Brun, Alessandro, and Federica Ciccullo. “Factors Affecting Sustainability‐Oriented Innovation in the Leather Supply Chain.” Strategic Change, vol. 31, no. 3, 1 May 2022, pp. 305– 321., https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2500.

Patents:

Kang, Koo Seong. Belt Buckle. US Patent 5,765,265. Filed 5 June 1997. Issued 16 June 1998.

Additional Sources:

Greenblatt, Drew. “How Is Stainless Steel Made?” Custom Wire Products and Metal Fabrication, Marlin Steel, 31 Jan. 2020, https://www.marlinwire.com/blog/how-is-    stainless-steel-made.

Larsen, Esben, and Karsten Bjerring Olsen. “Cotton Farming Water Consumption.” The World      Counts, https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/clothing/cotton- farming-water-consumption.

Okkinga-Koenen, Danielle. “Sustainability of Leather: Leather, a Sustainable Material: Smit & Zoon.” Royal Smit & Zoon, Smit & Zoon, 21 Mar. 2022, https://www.smitzoon.com/en/leather-sustainability/.

Parker, Laura. “The World's Plastic Pollution Crisis Explained.” Environment Explainer, National Geographic, 3 May 2021,         https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution.

Siegle, Lucy. “Is It Time to Give up Leather?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Mar. 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/mar/13/is-it-time-to-give-up-leather-animal-welfare-ethical-lucy-siegle.

Totp. “Is Rubber Bad for the Environment? It Depends!” Think of the Pandas, 14 May 2022, https://thinkofthepandas.com/2022/01/04/is-rubber-bad-for-the-environment-it-depends/.

Liam Hattevik

Hattevik, Korobkov, Smith

DES 40A

Professor Cogdell

Lifecycle Paper on Leather Belts

(Waste & Emissions)

Many articles of clothing that we wear daily have been developed over hundreds of years. Technology has significantly advanced the comfort of the shoes we wear, the materials we use for clothing, and has changed the way we are able to construct designs. One article of clothing that has not changed since around 3000 BC, during the Bronze Age, is the leather belt. Although the variation among leather belts has bloomed, from traditional tanned leather, to today’s dyed, braided designer belts with decorative buckles, the manufacturing process has remained relatively invariant while the supply chain shows steady growth. Cows are excessively fed, used for meat and dairy products, and are then skinned. The skin goes through a tanning process to create a durable leather for everyday use, or high fashion. As the market for leather continues to expand in parallel with climate concerns, there is a rising awareness of the waste produced by this industry. The production of leather belts is a multi-faceted process, which contributes both solid and gaseous waste to the environment and thus requires a balancing act between these pollutants. Solid waste in the form of excess leather is produced by manufacturing plants, yet wasted cow skin is reduced by using it for leather belt production. Simultaneously, emissions from this process pose a threat to climate health, and alternatives such as synthetic leather need to be considered. Since leather belts have been around longer than the Great Pyramid of Giza, I believe that it is worthwhile to understand the impact that a practice so old has on the environment. In this paper, I discuss the waste and emissions associated with leather belts and explain the importance of this topic. Leather belt manufacturing can be sustainable but the industry has turned to an environmentally hazardous method that needs to be watched. In order to wear a leather belt that is environmentally friendly we must look for something called “vegetable tanned leather”. 

When going over the environmental impact of the waste and emissions of leather, it is important to note the severity and global impact of the production. A massive portion of the waste and emissions associated with leather belts come from the tanning process. Some experts say that it would be better for the environment to throw away the cowhide and let it rot rather than making use of it. Starting off with the tanning process, there are two ways to tan leather. The less expensive method is called “chrome tanning” and tends to have a cheaper quality look to the leather. The other method of tanning is called “vegetable tanning” and is used for the highest quality of leather. Almost 90% of leather belts are put through the chrome tanning process due to the faster production process that can take about two weeks for the finished product compared to vegetable tanning which can take up to two months. Vegetable tanning is an ancient old method that requires the leather to be soaked in a solution while chrome tanning is a relatively new method that relies on chromium salts and a tanning solution. In comparison, chrome tanning is by far the most hazardous method to the environment. In an article about the environmental hazards of leather on peta.org, the author writes, “Most leather produced in the U.S. is chrome-tanned, and all wastes containing chromium are considered hazardous by the EPA (peta.org).” In terms of emissions of using chromium for tanning leather, air pollution is a big factor. Arsenic, which is a common chemical used on the finishing touches of the product, has been associated with lung cancer with those that are exposed to it. This can include factory workers and anyone who lives miles away from the tannery. An author from peta.org wrote, “Studies of leather tannery workers in Sweden and Italy found cancer risks between 20% and 50% above those expected (peta.org).” Moving on to water pollution from farm to factory; the numbers are staggering to say the least. In the same article about the environmental hazards of leather on peta.org, the author writes, “Runoff from feedlots and dairy farms also creates a major source of water pollution. Leather has one of the greatest impacts on eutrophication of all materials used for fashion, a serious ecological problem in which runoff waste creates an overgrowth of plant life in water systems, which suffocates animals by depleting oxygen levels in the water and is the leading cause of hypoxic zones, also known as “dead zones.” The EPA has confirmed that factory farms account for 70 percent of the water pollution in the U.S (peta.org).” Not only are our water systems affected by the runoff from feedlots that create an overgrowth of plant life but a large amount of water is used in the tanning process. The water used in the tanning process gets mixed with chromium salts, dyes, proteins, and fats that aren’t extractable after the process is finished. Around 26 millions tons of waste water is produced each year from the manufacturing of leather goods. In addition, leather processing has taken a toll on land pollution. Raising animals requires an immense amount of water and big open spaces of pastureland. An author on peta.org writes, “In the last half century, 70 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared to make way for pastures or for growing feed crops (peta.org).” Although the idea of manufacturing the skin of an animal is to make use of what is left from the carcass, there are still remnants of leather left from the cutting process. Leather consumers are looking for products of specialization such as leather belts, leather boots, leather hats, and et-cetera. The problem is that cows don’t come in the shape of any of these products. Leatherworkers need to cut the shape of the product they are trying to build and this leaves many remnants of leather from the original cowhide. Overall, in every aspect of the process from the farm to the belts we wear on our waist, there is waste and emissions that must be closely watched. At the end of the day, the environment and workers in this industry are the ones most affected. 

Moving onto the environmental consequences of the leather industry and how the future will be affected by the manufacturing of leather belts. The impact that the industry has on our air, land, and water quality should be noticed. The dumping of very harmful chemicals such as chromium salts can easily ruin land and water systems. The amount of space needed for cattle has resulted in deforestation without the plans to redistribute trees in other areas. Workers and citizens living close to tanneries are exposed to harmful chemicals that cause cancer. Without a doubt, leather tanning has contributed to climate change and affects the health of all living things. In an article called, “The Leather Industry Has a Bigger Impact on the Environment Than You Realize” published by greenmatters.com, Anna Garson writes, “According to Gizmodo, leather tanning using chromium combines chromium salts and tanning liquor to produce a light blue colored product. Countries without environmental protection laws, such as China, India, and Bangladesh, often experience the dumping of waste with leftover chromium into the environment (Garson, Anna).” Although the U.S. government has laws against dumping any sort of chemicals into the environment, countries without environmental protection laws are enough to put a dent into climate change. Later in the article Anna Garson says, “Collective Fashion Justice says that 80 percent of deforestation in the Amazon region is caused by soy production. Soy is widely used as feed for cattle, and cattle are farmed for leather products. It's estimated that one leather bag from Brazil is responsible for the equivalent of 1,000 square meters of cleared land (Garson, Anna).” Not only do waterways get destroyed from chemicals getting dumped, but huge amounts of land get cleared for cattle to roam and animals are forced to find new habitats. Eventually, our waterways will be too polluted to eat (or drink) from, species of animals will go extinct from moving habitats, and workers in tanneries will continually get exposure to chemicals, such as arsenic, that should be nowhere near any humans. In order to help the cause of climate change the government must take action and implement sanctions for human and environmental safety. 

It would be a crime to list many problems from the production it takes to make a leather belt without naming some solutions to lower the emission and waste. We can’t pretend that leather manufacturing is going to slow down because of research done on the waste and emissions. If that was the case then fossil fields would’ve been abolished a long time ago. One idea that everyone can play a part in is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Buy leather belts from second hand stores, transform old leather products into belts, and pay attention to what kind of leather belts you use. If everyone were to only purchase leather belts that went through the vegetable tanning process then the demand for that type of leather would increase and the waste and emissions from the chrome tanning industry would die down. Another way to reduce the waste from the leather belt industry is to find a use for the remnants of leather produced by leatherworkers. Although it may be tedious, there are still many uses for scrap leather such as constructing a belt or wallet with stitching. Now the extent that each individual can have on the leather industry can be rather effective but there needs to be more enforcement from countries that look the other way. The dumping of chromium salt into the environment doesn’t only affect the people living in China and India, but it also affects the whole world. There must be sanctions that forces these companies to find a better solution to disposing chromium salt or to completely switch to vegetable tanned leather. In the end, this is a world that we all share together and must fight to keep this Earth as clean as possible. 

Leather belt manufacturing can be sustainable but the industry has turned to an environmentally hazardous method that needs to be watched. In order to wear a leather belt that is environmentally friendly we must look for vegetable tanned leather. Overall, the environmental impact of leather belts is a tricky situation. On one side there’s an environmentally safe way to tan leather belts that takes two months and on the other hand nobody wants to wait that long which is why 90% of the industry chooses chrome tanning. This has affected workers, waterways, and our forests which are home to thousands of different species. In order for the industry to change there must be individuals that take a stance against chrome tanned leather and governments must step in to stop the dumping of chemicals and expansion of land for cattle. Leather belts have been around for centuries and there are still ways to continue the tradition of leather belt manufacturing but not at the expense of the environment. Together we can spread awareness and put pressure on governments to step in and make a powerful change. 

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