Finally it's starting again
After 5 years, the industry meeting of the European tanning and leather industry takes place again in Freiberg. 190 guests from 18 nations, with representatives from tanneries, the chemical industry and mechanical engineering are on site. But also user industries such as the automotive and furniture industries, shoe manufacturers and luxury article manufacturers, such as Hermès, are among the participants.
The event location full, the day's programme ambitious
After the welcome by the hosts and words of greeting from our Mayor of Freiberg, Sven Krüger, Professor Wilhelm Windisch from the Technical University of Munich put a first exclamation mark on the event with his keynote speech. He posed the provocative question "Can we still afford farm animals in the future?". "Yes", was the answer after 45 minutes. Sustainable agriculture is not possible without livestock farming as long as the balance of circularity is maintained, he continued.
Dr Dietrich Tegtmeyer and Prof. Dr Michael Meyer welcome the guests at the beginning of the 11th Freiberg Leather Days
Freiberg's mayor Sven Krüger also welcomed the guests to Freiberg
Erik Heller from SLCR Lasertechnik in Düren demonstrated solutions for the traceability of hides, skins and leather in the supply chain
The first day and the VCGT award ceremony
After the lunch break, the VGCT Annual Award was presented, this year to Dr Heinrich Francke. The VGCT honoured his many years of commitment to the VGCT and leather research. In particular, under his leadership in the "Leather Auxiliaries" Commission, many research topics were successfully dealt with and scientifically based facts were created, which were and are very important for the reputation of leather. Furthermore, Charleen Möller was awarded the Promotional Award for fostering young scientists and technicians. She is top of the class in her training as a specialist for leather production and tanning technology and completed her training at the company HELLER-LEDER GmbH & Co. KG. Thomas Strebost, Managing Director at HELLER-LEDER, accepted the prize on her behalf.
The rest of the day focused on the characterisation of leather and sustainable leather chemistry. With the presentation "Smart Leather", the colleagues from CardioID Technologies Lda Technologies from Portugal showed how they have equipped leather with conductive properties in order to use the material as a sensor for monitoring the vital function of vehicle occupants. Leather goes smart!
Dr Stefan Davis from the University of Northampton (UK) presented his research topic on time-resolved magnetic resonance techniques for determining leather grease
Harald Kiene (left) gave the laudation for this year's VGCT Annual Award winner Dr Heinrich Francke (right).
Patrick Wallrafen from Kuraray Europe in Hattersheim showed the participants a mobile app for carrying out colour fastness measurements for leather and textiles.
The social programme: city rally and dinner
After the conference programme, the participants discovered the beauty of the city, with the CityHunters GmbH & Co. KG city rally. In groups and equipped with iPads, the participants navigated their way to specific target points and solved tasks together. Teamwork! A different kind of get-together.
In the evening, the VGCT invited the participants to a social dinner at the Freiberg Brauhof. The VGCT recognition award was also presented there. Andreas Meyer of the German Leather Industry Association (VDL) presented the certificate to Ekkehard Werner of HELLER-LEDER in recognition of his important work in developing the ECO2L tool for determining the energy balance in leather production. The other three co-awardees, Jutta Knödler, Holm Flachowsky and Dr Thomas Heinzig, were unfortunately unable to be present at the ceremony. With the help of ECO2L, CO2 and energy labels for tanneries and their leather articles can be certified for the first time.
Four companies presented their solutions for dealing with bisphenol and answered the participants' questions afterwards (from left: Dr. Luca Ianarelli (I.C.A.I), Steffen Kohl (Smit & Zoon), Prof. Dr. Schulz (FILK), Dr. Jochen Ammenn (Stahl) and Dr. Jens Fennen (TFL))
Fun, teamwork and networking were then on offer with the CityHunters city rally
The social dinner followed at the end of the first day of lectures in the Freiberg Brauhof and its beer garden.
Day 2 had many exciting impulses in store
Sustainability of leather: A multi-layered and complex topic that moves us. The presentations in the morning showed the life cycle assessment compared to alternative materials, the biodegradability and the bio-based content of leather. It is important to look at the totality of aspects in order to shape a sustainable future for the leather industry.
Automation of leather production: The optimisation of processes and production steps is a significant building block to make leather production and quality assurance more efficient and to reduce costs and resource consumption. By integrating modern technologies, we can find innovative solutions that drive the industry forward.
SEE YOU AT THE 12TH FREIBERG LEATHER DAYS ON 12 AND 13 JUNE 2024
Preparations for the 12th Leather Days are already underway. The organisers are looking forward to welcoming their guests on 12 and 13 June 2024 - this time in Austria.
