Enzymes for leather & textiles

Leather and textile manufacturers are under ever-increasing pressure to make high-quality products in a cost-effective way. They also need to make their production more sustainable. Our solutions and services can help.

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Leather - generating value from waste

In the EU alone, 218 million pigs, sheep, goats, beef, and dairy cattle are slaughtered every year. Without the leather industry, the hides and skins of animals like these would - for the most part - become slaughterhouse waste. By reducing waste levels, leather production improves the sustainability of livestock processing.

More sustainable than fossil-fuel based alternatives

Leather is also organic, durable and readily biodegradable. The material itself, and its by-products, can be recycled. All that makes it inherently more sustainable than many fossil-fuel based alternatives. Our products help your customers reduce energy and chemical usage in leather production. That makes the industry even more sustainable.

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Leather

Textiles

Textiles – closing the fashion loop

The environmental impact of fashion is big news, and consumers are taking notice. Many are consciously choosing garments with a smaller environmental footprint. Improving a garment’s sustainability means making changes right across its lifecycle. That’s where your mill – and our products – can play a key role in closing the fashion loop.

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Greener garments and a better sustainability profile

Our products help you save water and energy. They can also replace harsh chemicals to help you achieve cleaner effluent. Their gentle action prevents waste by reducing damage to your raw materials. They allow you to ‘upgrade’ raw materials and even produce textiles with a longer lifespan. Fashion brands can pass all these sustainability benefits onto consumers. The result is greener garments and a better sustainability profile.

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Latest insights in leather & textiles

Woman examining the label on a fashion garment carefully, considering its environmental impact

An innovative win-win solution for industry, consumers and the environment

Consumer and regulatory demand for more sustainable textiles is growing and the industry is rising to the challenge. Responsibly sourced and produced manmade cellulosic fibers (MMCF) should play a key role. But until now, quality issues have limited the penetration of MMCF-based fabrics such as viscose, modal and lyocell. That has limited their positive impact.

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Fiberlife for viscose, modal and lyocell

Unlock quality and innovation

Many years ago, we invented a biopolishing solution for cotton ⁠— a revolutionary process that extends the lifetime of cotton knits to improve their sustainability. Now, with Fiberlife^®, we're extending that innovation to viscose, modal and lyocell, enabling these textiles to look new for longer while opening the door to new fashion looks and improved hand feels.

BioInnovate your beamhouse with enzymes

Enzymes are the biotechnological alternative to chemical leather manufacturing and can in many processes save time and energy. Meanwhile, enzymes reduce or eliminate the need for tensides, solvents or other demanding methods in the tannery. For more than 50 years Novozymes has been innovating the leather industry with enzymatic solutions for soaking, liming, bating, re-bating, and degreasing

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