This week, more than 5,500 water, environment and related professionals from over 100 countries come together in Tokyo to present pioneering science that can help shape future water conservation and management. And this morning, ECCO presented DriTan™ by ECCO Leather, which, in short, allows tanneries to make leather at a significantly reduced cost to the environment.
From the left: Presiden of ECCO Japan Keiko Inuzuka, Head of Applied Research Thomas Gøgsig, Executive Director of IWA Kala Vairavamoorthy, President of IWA Diane D’Arras, Creative Director VP Liam Maher
Concern for the global water situation
An audience of water specialists and journalists stopped by the IWA Pavillon to hear Thomas Gøgsig and Liam Maher explain the essence of ECCO’s invention. The innovative tanning method came out of a wish to optimise business and a concern for the global water situation and the fact that water is no longer a given. “In some areas of the world, the access to water is extremely limited. It has truly become a valuable resource,” explains Thomas Gøgsig who together with the teams in ECCO Leather couldn’t let go of the idea of turning traditional tanning upside down and finding a tanning method that reduces the impact on the world’s water budget as much as possible.
Minimises waste water and chemicals
DriTan™ by ECCO Leather is one of more steps in the tanning process, and it uses the moisture already present in the hides. The result is indistinguishable from traditionally tanned leather in terms of quality, characteristics, stability and lead-time. Besides saving huge amounts of water, the technology also considerably minimises the discharge of waste water and the use of chemicals. At its tannery in the Netherlands alone, ECCO Leather will eliminate 600 tons of sludge per year, translating into 40 truckloads of sludge deposited in landfills per year.
ECCO Soft 8 made by DriTan leather
In celebration of the sustainable breakthrough in tanning, ECCO has re-launched its iconic ECCO Soft 8 sneaker using DriTan™ leather. Introduced at the Congress, the shoe is sold exclusively at ECCO’s flagship store in Ginza, Tokyo, during the IWA World Water Congress 2018.
ECCO is one of the world’s leading shoe brands, combining style and comfort. ECCO’s success is built on products with a great fit and top-quality leathers. ECCO owns and manages every aspect of the value chain from tanneries and shoe manufacturing to wholesale and retail activities. ECCO’s products are sold in 90 countries from over 2,200 ECCO shops and more than 14,000 sales points. ECCO is family-owned, founded in Denmark in 1963, and employs more than 21,000 people worldwide.