People with allergies
Around 50 per cent of all Germans suffer from at least one allergy. The health care costs created by allergies have been growing continually over the past few years and it is expected that they will continue to grow in the years to come. More and more people react to the substances in their normal environment. In most cases, the substances that people react to are neither unusual nor dangerous.
Leather production requires the use of a large number of different substances. Each one of these substances carries the potential risk that a person will have an allergic reaction to it. The probably most wide spread allergy in connection with leather is the chrome allergy.
Chromium sulphate, or trivalent chromium, is used for chrome tanning. This substance is neither poisonous nor harmful and should not be confused with the carcinogenic hexavalent chromium, which has a different level of oxidation. Chrome is a natural metal and the human body needs chrome to live. We all take in small amounts of chrome every day through the food that we eat. Despite the fact that it is a natural substance and the fact that the human body needs chrome, some people are allergic to chrome in leather.
The use of hexavalent chromium is illegal in Germany due to its carcinogenic properties. There is no hexavalent chromium in terracare® leather. We guarantee it. Every day. For every order. In writing.
The use of chromium sulphate for chrome tanning cannot be avoided. Still, there are large differences in how skin-friendly a chrome-tanned leather is. The skin-friendliness depends on the substances used and the techniques used in the production process. The substances used for terracare® all come from Germany, Switzerland or the Netherlands. We never use questionable, cheaper chemicals from developing countries or emerging markets. All the substances we use fulfil the very rigid demands set by German law. We have optimised our processes so that we only use a minimum of chemicals and ensure that these bind exceptionally well with the leather. Through an excellent fixation in the leather, skin contact is kept to a minimum and the skins reaction reduced – which is good for people who have sensitive skin.
Technical know-how, modern machines and the use of only high-quality substances lead to a very high quality and very pure product. A product that has earned the name terracare®.
The European Union offers new guidelines for an environmental label for shoes. Of course leather produced under terracare keep these EU Norms for shoes as well.
