Project Report

On
Environmental Impact
Assessment
(in Leather Industry)
Submitted To:-
Prof. Leena

Submitted By:-
Siddharth Singh
MBA [Marketing]
Date: 11/12/2009

1
 INDEX

Sr. Topics Page

No No.
.

1. EIA Introduction 3

2. Introduction to Leather Industry 4

3. Overview of Indian Leather Industry 6

4. Leather Production Process 9

5. Residues Generated in Leather Production 12

6. EIA in Leather Industry 14

7. Leather Industry & Environmental Issues 17

8. Environmental Friendly Production Methods 18

& Technologies

9. Final Consideration 20

10. References 21

Environmental Impact Assessment

2
 {EIA}

Introduction:

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an assessment of the

possible impact—positive or negative—that a proposed project may have on
the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic
aspects. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers
consider the ensuing environmental impacts to decide whether to proceed
with the project.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an important management

tool for ensuring optimal use of natural resources for sustainable
development. A beginning in this direction was made in our country with the
impact assessment of river valley projects in 1978-79 and the scope has
subsequently been enhanced to cover other developmental sectors such as
industries, thermal power projects, mining schemes etc. To facilitate
collection of environmental data and preparation of management plans,
guidelines have been evolved and circulated to the concerned Central and
State Government Departments. EIA has now been made mandatory under
the Environmental (Protection Act, 1986) for 29 categories of developmental
activities involving investments of Rs. 50 crores and above.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests of India have been in a great

effort in Environmental Impact Assessment in India. The main laws in nation
are Water Act(1974), The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act (1972), The Air
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act (1981) and The Environment
(Protection) Act (1986). The responsible body for this is Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB).

Definition:

The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines

an environmental impact assessment as “the process of identifying,
predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other
relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being
taken and commitments made.”

Leather Industry

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Introduction:

Leather industry has been categorized as one of the

highly polluting industries and there are concerns that
leather-making activity can have adverse impact on the
environment. The global production of about 24 billion m2 of
leather by 2009 presents a considerable challenge to the
industry considering the harmful nature of some of the
chemicals used in leather processing. The tannery effluents
are characterized by high contents of dissolved, suspended
organic and inorganic solids giving rise to high oxygen
demand and potentially toxic metal salts and chromium
metal ion. The disagreeable odor emanating from the
decomposition of proteinous waste material and the
presence of sulphide, ammonia and other volatile organic
compounds are also associated with tanning activities. Solid
wastes generated in leather industries contribute mainly skin
trimmings, Keratin wastes, fleshing wastes, chrome shaving
wastes and buffing wastes. It constitutes protein as the main
component. If these protein and other chemicals, which are
present in the chemical treated protein, are not utilized
properly it will pose hazardous pollution problem to the
environment.
Raw Materials, Chemicals Used and Emission Factors in Leather
Industry:

Raw material for leather industry is raw hide or skin. The salt used for
preserving the skin/hide discharges huge amount of pollution load in terms
of total dissolved solids (TDS) and chlorides. Other major polluting
chemicals used in tanning industry are lime, sodium sulphide, ammonium
salts, sulphuric acid, chromium salts and vegetable tanning materials.
Currently, about 6.5 million tons of wet salted hides and skins are processed
worldwide annually. About 3.5 million tons of various chemicals are used
for leather processing. A considerable part of this amount is discharged into
the effluent. At an average consumption of 45-50 m3 of the waste liquor and
800 kg of solid wastes per ton of raw hide are discharged by the leather
industry. The composition of liquid and solid wastes generated in tanneries
worldwide are: COD, 1470; BOD, 619; suspended solids, 920; chromium,

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 30; sulphur, 60; and solid wastes (trimmings, fleshing, shaving & buffing
dust), 3000 thousand tons.

Soaking Liming Deliming Pickling Chrome Dyeing & Composite

Tanning Fatliquoring (incl.
Washing)
BOD 8.3-18.8 17.5-35.0 1.5-4.5 0.3-0.5 0.5-1.2 1.5-3.0 35.0-105.0

COD 22.5-45.0 35.0-87.5 3.8-10.5 0.8-2.3 1.5-3.8 3.8-10.5 87.5-280.0

Total Solids 262.5-415.5 105.0- 6.0-15.0 26.3-52.6 45.0-90.0 6.0-15.0 528.0-875.0

175.0
Solids suspended 22.5-52.5 21.0-70.0 2.3-6.0 0.8-2.3 1.5-3.8 0.9-1.5 70.0-140.0

Solids chlorides 112.5-225.0 14.0-28.0 1.5-3.0 1.5-3.8 23.0-38.0 0.8-1.5 210.0-332.5

as Cl-

Chromium (total) - - - - 3.0 - 7.5 - 3.5-8.8

as Cr
(All values expressed in kg/tonne of hide processed)

Table: - Typical waste emission factors associated with leather processing

(Source: Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research, July 2009)

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 Indian Leather Industry

Indian leather industry plays an important role both as an earner of

foreign exchange and provider of employment. The industry, which employs
more than 2.5 million people, exported about US$ 1970.98 million worth of
goods in 2000-01. A large proportion of India’s export of leather and leather
products is to four countries, namely USA, Germany, UK and Italy.
Together, these countries accounted for 59% of the total exports of these
products during 2000-01. Other major importers of Indian leather products
include: Spain, Hong Kong and France.

For a number of years the leather sector was reserved for small-scale
sector in India. This was done primarily to promote employment. A number
of policy instruments such as tax exemption, licensing restrictions and
reservation policy were used to encourage the growth of the leather industry
in the small scale and cottage industry sector.

An important implication of the government’s policy to reserve the

leather industry for the small scale sector in the past has been a slow pace of
modernization. Most of the tanneries lacked technical and financial resources
to introduce modern technology. As a result, the leather industry, by and
large, uses obsolete and inefficient technologies, and its environmental
performance is poor.

The government has introduced a number of policy changes to

promote technological up-gradation of the industry. Firstly, the government
partly removed the barrier to entry and permitted large firms to enter the
industry. Large firms are now permitted to enter the sector, provided that
they export a minimum of 95% of their production of finished leather. The
government also permits the import of modern technology, machines and
chemicals. It has also initiated schemes to provide financial support to
promote the modernization of tanneries.

During the 1970s, India export consisted largely of raw hides and
skins. In later years, the government introduced policies to promote the

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export of higher value added products. For example, it banned the export of
raw hides and skins and introduced quotas on the export of semi-finished
leather. It also provided several incentives for export of finished products. As
a result, India’s leather export basket has seen important change. The
proportion of leather products has seen a sharp increase since the early
1980s. Presently, more than 80% of India’s exports (by value) consist of
finished products.

As a result of these changes, the structure of the industry has

undergone a major change. Although a majority of firms are still small, a
high proportion of good quality leather is now produced by a number of
large firms. These firms are particularly important as exporters: about 35
large firms are reported to account for 60% of India’s leather export.
Furthermore, an increasing proportion of India’s leather exports consist of
finished goods.

India has about 3,000 tanneries with a total processing capacity of

700,000 tons of hides and skins per year. More than 90% of the tanneries are
small or medium sized, with processing capacities of less than 2-3 tons of
hides/skins per day. Indian tanneries process sheep, goatskin, cow and
buffalo hides, using both vegetable and chrome tanning. As leather
processing requires large amounts of water, most of the tanneries are located
near the riverbank. The highest concentration of tanneries in India in India is
on the banks of the Ganga river system in North India and the Palar river
system in Tamil Nadu.

Technology Status of India’s Leather Industry

Most tanneries in India use old and inefficient technologies and

production methods. Even in large tanneries the general level of technology
is low. The use of inefficient technology is largely responsible for the
wasteful use of water and chemicals, high load of effluent pollutants and low
productivity of the tanning industry. A study of India’s tanning industry,
carried out on behalf of India’s Ministry of Science and Technology, brings
out these facts clearly. According to this study:

1. The raw hides and skins are salt preserved in India. This causes a serious
problem of excess of salt in tannery effluent.
2. The yield of leather from wet salted stock is lower in India than
international norms. This is partly due to higher level of process waste.

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3. The chemical consumption in Indian tanneries is about 25 to 30% higher
than international norms. This is due to the use of inefficient equipment
and processes and the absence of recycling.
4. The specific water consumption in Indian tanneries is more than double
that of tanneries in developed countries. The tanning units in India
consume an average of 40 liter/sq ft of finished leather. Compared to this,
the tanneries in developed countries consume about 12-15 liters/sq ft.
5. A majority of the tanneries in India are very old and their layout is not
efficient. This leads to bottlenecks for process and material handling,
multidirectional material flow and excessive material handling. Most of
these tanneries also have very unhygienic working conditions, inadequate
ventilation and lighting.

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 LEATHER PRODUCTION PROCESS

The leather manufacturing process is divided into three fundamental

sub-processes:
 Preparatory stages
 Tanning
 Crusting

All true leathers will undergo these sub-processes. A further sub-

process, surface coating can be added into the leather process sequence but
not all leathers receive surface treatment. Since many types of leather exist, it
is difficult to create a list of operations that all leathers must undergo.

1) Preparatory stages:

The preparatory stages are when the hide/skin is prepared for tanning.
Preparatory stages may include: preservation, soaking, liming, unhairing,
fleshing, splitting, reliming, deliming, bating, degreasing, frizzing,
bleaching, pickling and depickling.

2) Tanning:

Tanning is the process which converts the protein of the raw hide or
skin into a stable material which will not putrefy and is suitable for a wide
variety of end applications. The principal difference between raw hides and
tanned hides is that raw hides dry out to form a hard inflexible material that
when re-wetted (or wetted back) putrefy, while tanned material dries out to a
flexible form that does not become putrid when wetted back. There is a large
number of different tanning methods and materials that can be used, the
choice is ultimately dependent on the end application of the leather. The
most commonly used tanning material is chromium, which leaves the leather
once tanned a pale blue color (due to the chromium), this product is
commonly called “wet blue”. The hides once they have finished pickling will
typically be between pH of 2.8-3.2. At this point the hides would be loaded
in a drum and immersed in a float containing the tanning liquor. The hides

9
 are allowed to soak (while the drum slowly rotates about its axle) and the
tanning liquor slowly penetrates through the full substance of the hide.
Regular checks will be made to see the penetration by cutting the cross-
section of a hide and observing the degree of penetration. Once a good even
degree of penetration exists, the pH of the float is slowly raised in a process
called basification. This basification process fixes the tanning material to the
leather and the more tanning material fixed the higher the hydrothermal
stability and increased shrinkage temperature resistance of the leather. The
pH of the leather when chrome tanned would typically finish somewhere
between 3.8-4.2.

3) Crusting:

Crusting is when the hide/skin is thinned, retanned and lubricated.

Often, a coloring operation is included in the crusting sub-process. The
chemicals added during crusting have to be fixed in place. The culmination
of the crusting sub-process is the drying and softening operations. Crusting
may include the following operations: wetting back, sammying, splitting,
shaving, rechroming, neutralization, retanning, dyeing, fatliquoring, filling,
stuffing, stripping, whitening, fixating, setting, drying, conditioning, milling,
staking, and buffing.

For some leathers a surface coating is applied. Tanners refer to this as

finishing. Finishing operations may include: oiling, brushing, padding,
impregnation, buffing, spraying, roller coating, curtain coating, polishing,
plating, embossing, ironing, ironing/combing (for hair-on), glazing and
tumbling.

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 Figures below show the complete leather manufacturing process,
highlighting the main waste generation points.

11
 RESIDUE GENERATED
IN
LEATHER PRODUCTION

Solid residue is defined as any solid material that stems from the daily
activities of humans in society and which the producer or owner does not
consider to have enough importance to be preserved.

Liquid effluents, solid residues and atmospheric emissions are

generated in leather production. Organic and inorganic compounds are
present in these pollutants. The organic compounds consist of proteic and
lipid components from the animal hides that lose about 30% of organic
matter during processing, according to studies. The inorganic compounds are
from chemical products that were not completely affixed to the skins during
processing.

Liquid effluents

The liquid wastes generated by the preparation for tanning operation

consist of heavily alkaline and whitish water (excess lime) and contain suet,

12
hairs, muscle tissue, fat and suspended blood. There are salts (such as sulfite,
sulfate, chloride, sodium, calcium, ammonia), proteins and diverse amino
acids in solution. These effluents have high concentrations of solids in
suspension, dissolved proteins and acidic pH. This is the phase with the
highest concentration of pollutant and toxic loads in tanning effluents. In
order to have an idea of the potential environmental impact, consider that the
average weight of 23 Kg/salted hide8 and an average organic load of
domestic sewage of 54 Kg DBO9/inhabitant/day is the polluting potential of
a biodegradable organic load of a tannery that processes 3000 hides/day,
equivalent to a population of 85,600 inhabitants. The impact is thus quite
significant.

The liquid effluents generated by pickling and tanning operations

mainly contain salt, mineral acids, organic acids, chrome, proteins and some
fungicides, with acidic pH and they may contain high concentrations of DQO
and DBO, depending on the tanning agent used. Mineral tanning with
chrome is still the main tanning process used in the world, because it is a
relatively short process, cheaper and efficient for industrial scale operations.
It also gives the leather high quality and resistance, allowing it to be stored
for long periods without risk of rotting, despite its countless impacts in the
environment.

Atmospheric emissions

Besides the liquid effluents, atmospheric emissions that cause

unpleasant odors are also generated by the tanneries from its various
operations. These are gases and vapors, released over the production process
and during effluent treatment operations. The main emissions are ammonia
(which comes from the partial decomposition of hide proteins),
hydrosulphuric gas, emissions of volatile compounds from organic solvents,
suspended water particles called aerosols and solid particulate material.

Solid waste

Solid wastes are the most generated. They can be grouped into two
categories:

 Non-tanning solid waste: from the rawhide and fleshing and splitting,
these are the chippings, flesh, and other wastes resulting from the
preparation for tanning process. These wastes are classified as non-

13
 hazardous and are rich in collagen and fats. They can be transformed
into glue, gelatin, and gum, among others.

 Tanning solid waste: these are from the effluent treatment station
(chromecontaminated sludge), from the wet finishing phase, when the
leather goes through the physical-mechanical phases of resting,
leveling and cutting (comprised of: burrs, chromed shavings, chaffing,
scrapings and chippings of tanned leather) and buffing dust. These
wastes are classified as hazardous materials (class 1 wastes) and are
rich in trivalent and hexavalent chrome (which can cause cancer and
mutations in humans). For each piece of tanned leather, 2 to 3 kg of
chromed shavings is generated.

It is thus possible to see the great waste generation by the sector, and
waste that can result in expressive environmental impacts. It is fundamental
for the sector to invest in specific cares and treatments in the search to
minimize these impacts on the environment. That’s why it is so important to
implement effective waste management systems, or even to prevent such
waste.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

IN
LEATHER INDUSTRY

A tannery’s production process has countless environmental impacts

and consumes a large amount of natural resources.

The main environmental impacts are: odor – discomfort for the

public's well-being, harmful to water body quality, eventual contamination of
the soil and underground waters.

These impacts can occur at every phase of the production process and
they follow the emission forms and environmental aspects that can cause
such impacts:

 Conservation and storage of hides: contamination of the air as a

result of releasing ammonia gas, volatile organic compounds and
hydrosulphuric gas; water contamination by spilling liquids released

14
 by the skins; soil contamination through pieces of hide and salt with
organic matter.

 Preparation for tanning operation: contamination of the air with

ammonia gas, hydrosulphuric gas and volatile organic compounds;
water contamination from residual baths for hide treatment and water
from intermediate washings containing organic loads and chemical
products (sulfite, diverse salts and others); contamination of the soil
from flesh, hairs, hide chippings and scrapings, with and without
chemical products.

 Tanning process: water contamination from residual hide tanning

baths, containing organic loads and chemical products such as chrome,
tannin, diverse salts, among others.

 Finishing process: contamination of the air through the release of

volatile organic compounds from solvents in products used; water
contamination from residual leather treatment baths, containing
organic loads and chemical products (such as chrome, tannin, dyes,
oils and others); contamination of the soil due to inappropriate
disposal of dust, chaffing, chromed shavings, semi-finished and
finished tanned leather cutting, finishing product wastes, which
include dyes, resins, among others.

With regard to the consumption of inputs and natural resources:

 The leather production process consumes nearly 30 to 80m³ of water

per ton of processed hide; however, this volume can vary as a result of
the different raw materials, processes, operational practices and
management. The average consumption of water for processed salted
hide is 630 liters. Thus, a tannery that processes 3000 salted hides per
day, consumes approximately 1900 m³, which is equivalent to the
daily consumption of a population of nearly 10,500 inhabitants with an
average consumption of 180 liters of water/inhabitant per day. This
reveals a significant impact in the region’s water source consumption.

 The consumption of electric energy also depends on the capacity and

quantity of consumption, type and state of equipment, type of effluent
treatment, efficient energy practices. Consumption varies between
2600 and 11,700 kW/h per ton of salted hide.

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  A large number of chemical products are used, such as surfactants,
solvents, fungicides, insecticides, acids, natural or synthetic tannin
agents, chrome, titanium, magnesium, dyes, salts, sulfonated oils, etc.

The wastes generated by tanneries are rich in trivalent and hexavalent

chrome and their disposal is viewed as toxic by environmental legislation.
Trivalent chrome is essential from a nutritional point of view, and if
absorbed in small quantities by the organism, it is not toxic. Hexavalent
chrome is highly toxic and has a cumulative effect on the organism,
especially the body's soft tissues, such as the liver, kidneys, breasts, prostate,
uterus, respiratory system, heart, among others.

Wastes that contain chrome cause significant impacts on the

environment due to their high power of contamination. Chrome reaches the
water table, rivers and reservoirs that supply the cities. Waste inappropriately
disposed of in the soil favors chrome's permanence, which can be absorbed
by the plants that will serve as food for humans, thus contaminating the
human being.

Leather industry employees are the most jeopardized because they live
with chrome daily, as well as with other toxic compounds. Most of them
suffer from skin allergies and have allergic rhinitis, according to Elizabeth
Nascimento, professor of toxicology at the University of São Paulo (USP)
College of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Prolonged stays in environments where
chrome is used favors the development of lung cancer through the inhalation
of large quantities of the substance. As with every heavy metal, chrome
accumulates in the organism due to direct contact or the consumption of
contaminated water and foods, and over the years, it can cause organ failure,
such as kidneys, and eventually death. When inhaled in large doses, its
hexavalent form, which is rarer and more hazardous, causes perforations in
the nasal septum.

The problem is that the cleaning produces another waste, chrome

sludge, which must be sent to an appropriate landfill. But, these wastes are
often dumped in rivers, causing enormous environmental harm. The
inhabitants complain about the rotten egg odor from the hydrosulphuric gas,
which can be lethal in high concentrations. It enters the homes through the
sewers, which use the same system to collect the effluents from the
processing industries. The contamination brought by solid wastes is more

16
subtle. Their effects cannot be seen, but they just as or more serious than
those caused by liquid effluent pollution.

Control of atmospheric emissions is another important industrial

problem that must be solved by the sector due to, in some cases,
occupational illness problems, depending on the tannery’s installations and
operational procedures, as well as the discomfort caused to the population in
the surrounding area, since they are perceived beyond the industrial limits.

THE LEATHER INDUSTRY

AND
THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE
Client demands in relation to the preservation of the environment have
also reached the leather industries, which have great impacts on the
environment. New technologies are thus being developed to minimize the
results of the impacts from the leather production process.

One alternative that has been growing in the sector is tanning without
the use of chrome. This chrome-free process can become an excellent
business opportunity and it will be the future way to tan leathers. As an
example, we can cite a footwear company located in Northampton shire,
England, specialized in footwear for babies that does not use chrome in
leather tanning. According to the company, the use footwear with
conventional leather can cause irritation and dermatitis on babies’ feet. The
chrome in the leather can also be ingested if the babies put the shoes in their
mouths. The leather used by the company is tanned using vegetal extracts
that have less impact on the environment and are biodegradable.

17
 Another foreign company that is investing in the chrome-free process
is Ecopell, located in Germany. The tanning process used by the industry
employs plants and ingredients that do not harm the environment.

According to the Law of Conservation of Mass (BRAGA et al., 2002),

waste generation is inherent to the transformation process of raw materials
into products; however, with the adoption of good pollution free tools the
quantity of waste can be minimized and its physical-chemical characteristics
altered, causing less impact on the environment. The large amount of waste
generated by the leather and footwear industries therefore constitutes a
management problem that needs an urgent solution for the environment to
not suffer further degradation.

Environmental friendly production methods and

technologies

The quantity of pollution load generated by the leather industry can be

reduced by:
• Process modification to reduce the generation of waste and pollutants
in the beam house;
• Reuse of chemicals (mainly sulphides and chrome) and spent liqours.
• Economical use and reuse of water;

The modifications required to make various processes in leather

making environmentally friendly are described below.

a) Desalting and soaking. The salt load in the effluent can be reduced by:
• Decreasing the amount of salt used to preserve hides by adding
environmentally acceptable anti-septics such as boric acid and sodium
sulphide. It must, however, be mentioned that the use of these
preservatives reduces shelf life.

18
 • Use of improved methods of desalting by using Dodeca frames
and desalting machies.
• Processesing fresh (green) hides, which have been preserved by
chilling.

b) Unharing and liming. The pollutants from these processes can be reduced
by using the following technologies:
• Recycling spent float. This also leads to a reduction in the
amount of water consumption.
• Enzymatic unharing. This can lead to a reduction in the use of
sulphide, leading to a reduction of COD by 30-40%.
c) Deliming and Bating. The environmentally friendly alternatives include:
ammonia free delimng and bathis and carbon dioxide deliming.
d) Chrome tanning. Cleaner technologies to reduce chrome content in the
effluent are:
• High exhaustion process in which short floats at higher
temperature and pH are used. The process increases the extent of
chrome exhaustion and reduces the chrome content in the effluent.
• Recovery/recycling of chrome. In this process, chrome in the
effluent is recovered and reused in tanning process.
• Low or no chrome tanning.
e) Post Tanning. The methods to reduce the load of pollutants generated by
these processes are:
• High Exhaustion
• Chrome fixing in neutralization
• Chrome precipitation.
• Replacing nitrogenous compounds with other filling agents;
• Phasing out environmentally hazardous chemicals with high
COD and BOD values, and limited biodegradability.

19
 FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Some considerations can be made from this study. The leather sector
is very expressive in the national manufacturing universe. The production of
leather implies the large consumption of natural resources, especially water,
and significant impacts on the environment, since large quantities of solid
waste, liquid effluents and atmospheric emissions are generated. If these are
not duly treated and appropriated disposed they can harm human health and
water sources as well as contaminate the soil.

The Indian leather industry is lacking in techniques that increase the

quality of the leather produced. By achieving this leather quality, it is
possible to increase the country’s competitiveness and also reduce the
environmental impacts since wastes would also be reduced. Thus, sector
growth requires investments in quality, techniques to minimize or eliminate
the impacts on the environment and studies that contribute towards

20
minimizing sector problems and towards generating jobs and foreign
reserves, thus contributing towards the country's growth.

References:

 “Tanners to pay Compensation”, Leather, June 2001, p. 2.

 DSIR, “Technology Evaluation and Norms Study in Leather

Tanneries”, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research,
Ministry of Science and Technology, New Delhi, November 2008.

 Kennedy Lorraine, “Cooperating for Survival: tannery Pollution and

Joint Action in the palar Valley (India)”, World Development, Vol. 27,
No. 9, pp. 1673-169.

 Ludvik J., “The Scope of Decreasing Pollution Load in Leather

processing”, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 9
August 2006.

21
 Shanmugam Kavitha, “Polluting Leather Units face Closure Threat”,
Business Standrard, April 28, 2002.

 http://www.brazilianleather.com.br

 http://www.euroleather.com

 www.indianleatherportal.com

 kanpurbds.fibre2fashion.com/indian-leather-ind.asp

 dipp.nic.in/industry/leather

 weblis.unep.org

 www.fao.org

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