Leather is the prime example of a recycled product. For more than 100 years, the leather industry has been creating a durable and versatile material from a by-product of meat production. However, in order to protect the environment in the long term, production must also develop into a recycling industry in which technology and ecology combine. With the "Sustainable Leather Management" initiative, LANXESS is regarded as a pioneer in future-oriented leather production, for which the Group designs environmentally compatible processes. A waste product from the tannery, the so-called shavings, is recycled. Every year, around 600,000 tonnes of this would end up in the landfill site. Thanks to an innovative solution from LANXESS, the alleged waste is now being processed to produce a new, improved class of retanning agents: the X-Biomer brand products are made from renewable raw materials, reduce wastewater pollution and are biodegradable.