{"id":5119,"date":"2016-11-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.pellealvegetale.it\/vegetable-tanned-leather-characteristics\/"},"modified":"2019-11-13T09:55:10","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T09:55:10","slug":"vegetable-tanned-leather-characteristics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.pellealvegetale.it\/en\/vegetable-tanned-leather-characteristics\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegetable-Tanned Leather: technical characteristics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leather is an extremely versatile material<\/strong>, very resistant to mechanical strain <\/strong>and, at the same time, soft and flexible, as few other materials are<\/strong>. Because of its original biological function as an animal skin, leather has a great capacity for transpiration, combined with a high resistance to outside temperatures and chemicals of various origins.<\/p>\n

The tanning process<\/strong> is composed of various chemical and mechanical steps able to turn an organic material destined to decay with the passing of time into a stable material that will not decompose. The leather obtained is particularly suitable for shoes and leather goods, but it can be also used for interiors and specific technical applications.<\/p>\n

Among the various methods of tanning, the oldest one is surely vegetable tanning<\/strong>. Tannins, the main active ingredients, are extracted from specific trees and plants<\/strong> having strong anti-oxidant properties, in other words able to chemically tie to the protein fibres of the hide and make it tight and resistant to the hydrolysis of bacteria that cause putrefaction.<\/p>\n

The finished leather derived from vegetable tanning has good resistance to wear over time<\/strong> and, compared to other tanning methods, presents other important characteristics:<\/p>\n