Moves to address ongoing questions over the potential for hexavalent chromium (chrome VI) to form in finished leather have won a significant boost.
The UK Leather Federation and the University of Northampton established a joint initiative towards the end of last year, aiming to set up a doctoral programme to define the problems surrounding chrome VI, produce evidence using advanced digital analysis and and come up with a definitive answer to key chrome VI questions.
Funding is now in place for this exciting development in the form of a three-year grant from venerable City of London industry body, The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers. The university’s Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) is now in the process of selecting a PhD student to carry out the research. The aim is for this work to start in 2016 under the guidance of ICLT, with additional support from the UK Leather Federation.
Emeritus professor of leather science at the University of Northampton, Tony Covington, has said the industry needs to address concerns about chrome VI “once and for all”. At a recent event organised by COTANCE, Professor Covington said: “I’m sick of this subject constantly being brought up and of the uncertainty over the possibility that existing analytical techniques give us false positives or false negatives [in tests for chrome VI]. We simply don’t know. My gut feeling is that the chemistry and the thermodynamics indicate that it’s not a problem.”
But he added immediately that he realises this is not enough to “convince the marketplace” and said he hopes the new initiative will put the matter to bed and confirm definitively the safety of chrome-tanned leather.