Leather Waste Management and Possibilities of Employment Generation in India

Abstract

India is not only famous for its historical monuments and its diverse culture but also its traditional leather craft. The leather industry is one of the most polluting industries in India and the world as well because its production process includes the use of many chemicals and methods of processing that have a heavy impact on the environment. Having finished products, lefts lots of waste materials of leather, most of them come from organized and unorganized manufacturing units. One more interesting fact is that most people even don’t know how to decompose them properly. They usually dump it openly or dispose of it on land sited. From all the stages of making finished leather out of 100% of raw material nearly 85% is generated as solid & liquid waste like (skins, fats, trimmings, process effluents, and sludge buffing dust,). Only 15% useable material is available for making leather products. Out of which nearly 50% is generated as waste during the cutting process even in the case of some goods it may be 60-70%. All these wastes can be used for making various useful items and industrial products. Proper utilization of these wastes will give a boost to the growth and development of the nation because there are great possibilities of utilizing these wastes for the betterment of society. The purpose of presenting this paper is to understand and find new innovative methods of using these wastes for generating employment opportunities, eliminating widespread poverty, and attaining various SDG goals of the UN.