- Range of products for NMP-free leather production
- Future-oriented “Sustainable Leather Management”
Cologne – After the inclusion of NMP (N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone) as an SVHC candidate (Substances of Very High Concern) in 2011, the European Commission issued a restriction on the sale of chemical products containing NMP in May of this year and also announced a restriction on the use of NMP in consumer products in the coming fall. Now, many leather manufacturers need to make it transparent how they produce leather items without this substance. The specialty chemicals company LANXESS provides the industry with suitable alternatives without the need to make any compromises with regard to the quality of the finished leather.
Dr. Martin Kleban, HSEQ representative in the Leather business unit at LANXESS: “We extensively removed NMP from the leather chemicals in our product range a long time ago. By developing suitable alternatives, we offer a range of over 30 NMP-free binders for finishing and enable our customers to operate consistently without the use of NMP. We have been offering solutions in accordance with the REACH regulation for many years.”
NMP was traditionally used in industry for the production of polyurethane coatings as a co-solvent, in order to improve the adhesion and penetration of the intermediate layer.
Sustainable leather production
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the leather industry. As part of its “Sustainable Leather Management” program, LANXESS therefore based its range of chemical products for leather production around the concept of sustainability. Modern, future-oriented leather production must reconcile economic interests, environmental compatibility, and consumer benefits. Achieving this balance is the fundamental principle of the LANXESS initiative “Sustainable Leather Management”. The Leather business unit provides its customers with innovative technologies and products throughout the entire value chain in order to support the production of high-quality, sustainable, and environmentally friendly leather.
For detailed information about the “Sustainable Leather Management” program and about LANXESS products and services for the leather industry, please visit www.leather.lanxess.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of LANXESS AG to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. LANXESS AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions, contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of LANXESS AG or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person’s officers, directors or employees accept any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.
LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 9.7 billion in 2017 and about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 74 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. Through ARLANXEO, the joint venture with Saudi Aramco, LANXESS is also a leading supplier of synthetic rubber. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.