GSC Group, a Vicenza-based company leader in the sector of auxiliary products for the tanning industry, has published the first Sustainability Report related to the years 2019-2020
Improve products sustainability and responsibly manage production processes ensuring their traceability and transparency. That’s the ethical and moral commitment of GSC Group towards the application of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria: principles that have become essential in the European context of sustainable development as well as a fundamental part of the entrepreneurial path traced by the company. After over forty years of growth and investments, the second-generation family business has established itself globally in the supply of chemical products for the tanning industry, promoting the “for leather, for you” philosophy: quality for leather, a customized service. Such attitude is headed to the future through the development of high added value solutions and projects that are increasingly close to the goal of true environmental sustainability.
All GSC Group’s progress in terms of sustainable development are today described by the first Sustainability Report, of which the company is proud of. The document contains a report of the efforts undertaken and the results obtained in the 2019-2020, in compliance with the action program defined by ‘UN 2030 Agenda. Two years during which GSC Group achieved the GHG (Greenhouse Gases) certification, joined the Carbon Footprint Italy program to quantify and report the carbon footprint (i.e. all direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions related to the Group’s activities).Throughout this period the company managed to ensure a sustainable supply of resources: the environmental management system based on ISO 14001 and ISO 14067 is constantly evolving, thanks to the monitoring of energy and water consumption and the application of BAT (Best Available Techniques) throughout the production process.
The sustainable approach highlighted in the report focuses on the investments in renewable energy sources in order to rely less and less on fossil fuels. Currently about five thousand square meters of solar panels meet fifteen percent of the company’s energy needs, while the installation of LED lights in all production sites has led to an electricity saving of about fifty percent. The company is also committed to reduce water consumption: a closed-circuit system ensures the recirculation of water for different operations and part of it is recycled into the products. From the beginning of intensive monitoring in 2017 until 2021, GSC has decreased the total water withdrawal by about ten thousand cubic meters.
Within the report there are some projects concerning the sustainability of chemicals categories and their application processes. Among these, the LIFE GOAST project (LIFE from the namesake European program and GOAST, acronym for Green Organic Agents for Sustainable Tanneries) proves the efficacy and benefits on an industrial scale of a new metal-free tanning technology for the production of leather items for automotive, furniture and footwear sectors.
GOAST technology is based on the combination of different polymer-based compounds used according to a specific application protocol. A system that aims at simplifying the entire tanning process by restrainig its environmental impacts through a reduced use of potentially dangerous substances and a lower consumption of natural resources. The resulting leather waste, free of chromium and other heavy metals, can consequently be completely recycled.
The series of pigments for metal-free leathers was instead developed by selecting top-notch quality raw materials and reducing, when possible, the environmental impact in compliance with the MRSL v.2.0 guidelines of the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) program. The absence of illicit substances is carefully checked through tests and analysis of production batches.
Francesco Serafini, R&D Manager GSC Group
THE POINT OF VIEW
In terms of sustainability, the international big brand pressure on tanneries is very strong, turning into stimulating requests that involve the entire production process. There is a lot of research going on. We asked Francesco Serafini, GSC Group R&D Manager, to make an overview about sustainable tanning.
Francesco Serafini, can we expect new, truly sustainable tanning agents, tending to be one hundred percent vegetable, alternative to oil derivatives? We are working and using many resources on it; our goal is to offer solutions that are truly in line with the demands of the big brands as well as their consumers. I don’t think they will be one hundred percent vegetable products, but they will feature a very low environmental impact. Let’s not forget that we are talking about chemistry and the tanning process will always have a synthetic part with it. The point is, we must reduce that part and making it acceptable, and significantly lower when compared to production processes of alternative materials. To tell the truth, it is often like that already, but there is no correct information on this issue.
Is it possible to make the leather more natural and eco-sustainable without sacrificing quality, style, handiness? Difficult but possible. I also think that the concept of quality is evolving: a material is considered to be of higher quality if it is very sustainable, not very durable, as it used to be in the past.
The health of workers, end customers and the environment are now a priority in the luxury market. And for all the other market segments? What are the outcomes? I think this trend will cover every segment. Luxury market leaders are often the drivers of global trends. Perhaps it is worth pointing out that, as pioneers and non-workers of the chemistry sector, they sometimes make extreme demands. But that is part of a path destined over time to improve and find the right balance. We have spent months sharing these issues with stakeholders. You may find everything in our sustainability report.
GSC Group headquarters in Montebello Vicentino
