Thinking quickly, how many pairs of shoes do you have? Probably at least one of them is made of leather, one of the most used materials in the fashion sector, due to its properties, durability, style and possibilities of use. However, all the qualities of the finished material contrast with the challenge of correctly disposing of its components.

The numbers of the leather sector in Brazil are impressive with their size. Around 1 million people are employed in the leather-footwear sector, in addition to millions more in Brazilian cattle breeding. Brazil is currently one of the largest footwear producers in the world, with more than 760 million pairs produced annually, the majority made from bovine leather.

Brazil is one of the largest meat producers in the world and has the largest cattle herd on the planet with more than 230 million heads and leather is one of the by-products of the meat sector. It is a sector that represents a lot for the Brazilian economy, generating billions of reais in salaries, benefits, taxes and exported products.

But like all activities, there is always a balance that does not appear in the press spotlight. In the case of the leather sector, it is its waste, these millions of pairs of shoes produced (sneakers, shoes, sandals, heels, boots) require a large amount of leather, which is cut in the production process and generates tons and tons of scraps. leather that must be disposed of correctly.

Although the shoe manufacturing and leather tanning process has evolved a lot in recent years from an environmental point of view, there is still a liability in the leather industry, which is the scraps and scraps of leather that cannot be used in the production of sneakers and shoes. Until recently, all this material was destined to be sent to hazardous waste landfills and end its life there.

However, for a few years now Brazil has been pioneering a solution for this type of waste: transforming shoe scraps and leather scraps into organic fertilizer. Currently, more than 95% of all leather waste in southern Brazil receives this treatment and helps contribute to organic and regenerative agriculture in Brazil and other countries.

The process consists of placing the leather in a large “pressure cooker” with water, where it is boiled at 300ºC for minutes, this process breaks down the leather molecules and reduces the concentration of dangerous substances, afterwards the material passes through a dryer at approximately of 500ºC, where it loses moisture and is finally sieved into different sizes. The fertilizer is rich in nitrogen and carbon and helps to complement organic matter in commercial crops of corn, soybeans, beans and even on small scales on organic properties.

The entire process takes place in accordance with Brazilian legislation and with the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The biofertilizer is currently manufactured in Rio Grande do Sul and serves more than 15,000 farmers in southern Brazil. 

It is very interesting to see how the industry, together with research bodies and universities, has been seeking alternatives for the most varied types of materials and waste and achieving excellent results. Transforming scraps of shoes and leather into an organic fertilizer demonstrates how it is possible to have a clean process, reusing waste, generating income and environmental gains at the same time.

The shoe that is on your feet today could be transformed into fertilizer in the future or the remnants of its production could be helping to nourish plants and crops on the thousands of farms and plantations in Brazil.

One of the biggest challenges in expanding this technology in Brazil is the logistical cost. The leather processing plants into organic fertilizers are located in the South of Brazil and there is still a large volume of leather destined for landfills in the Southeast and Northeast regions of Brazil. The search for innovative and environmentally friendly solutions demands investment, interest from companies, governments and a lot of scientific research. 

Reference: 
https://globorural.globo.com/Noticias/Empresas-e-Negocios/noticia/2019/10/fabricante-de-calcados-faz-parceria-para-transformar-couro-em-adubo.html 
https:/ /organicsnewsbrasil.com.br/empresa-de-calcados-transforma-couro-em-fertilizante-organico/ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BCFvoGVDxg 
https://saneamentobasico.com.br/wp- content/uploads/2020/02/3067.pdf 
https://www.paranaambiental.com.br/noticia/4/fertilizante-a-partir-de-residuos-de-couro