Gsc Group is a national leader in the supply of chemical products for the tanning sector and a symbol of Italian excellence. In business since 1976, the Montebello Vicentino-based company has long since embarked on its path towards sustainability which today has led it to the development of a new, valuable technology: OMW (Olive Mill Wastewater). The main feature of this vegetable-based tanning system is its green approach, given that its main component is the olive oil wastewater, product waste from the mills destined to be disposed. In Italy, that is among the main producers of olive oil in the world, a very large quantity of wastewater deriving from processing in the mills accumulates seasonally. This residual material, despite its vegetable origin, contains a high quantity of phytotoxic compounds and is difficult to biodegrade, so much so that it constitutes one of the major environmental problems in countries with an olive-growing vocation. Thanks to the OMW technology, the olive oil vegetation waters are subjected to reworking and reformulation, and therefore be used for leather processing, in the tanning, or possibly in the re-tanning phase, for a completely metal-free leather production. Widely supported by the European Union, (which as a whole produces more than 2.5 billion tons of waste every year) the circular economy is the driving force towards which the economy and industry will move in the coming years, focusing new processes on the recycling of waste, thus reaching zero carbon emissions. OMW technology by Gsc Group is perfectly in line with this approach, as it allows to exploit two waste products of food origin – leather for meat and vegetable oil waters for olives – combining them and giving rise to a new product. This type of tanning process belongs to metal-free tanning, and therefore is more sustainable than the traditional ones as it is free from heavy metals such as chromium and its possible by-products such as hexavalent chromium. OMW organic tanning has no application limits and can be used without distinction for the production of hides for the footwear, automotive, footwear, leather goods and furniture sectors. High-end hides, equal in terms of appearance, quality and performance, compared to those produced by traditional tanning process.
