Specialty chemicals company Lanxess, which is participating at the India International Leather Fair (IILF) in Chennai, with a comprehensive range of chemical-leather chemical products.

The company’s leather business unit has showcased its portfolio for manufacturing leathers for the automotive, footwear, clothing and furniture industries. This includes mineral and synthetic tanning agents, preservatives, retanning and fatliquoring agents, dyes and numerous finishing and upgrading products.

How leather can shape automotive interiors is being demonstrated using the example of a BMW Z4.

Levotan W for re-tanning
For the re-tanning process during production of water-proof leathers Lanxess has developed a silicone-based waterproofing agent called Levotan W. It is easily dispersible in the float and can be homogeneously incorporated in the leather to promote consistent coloring. “Leather made with this product displays a fine grain, a high level of water vapour permeability and a natural feel. Levotan W also yields high and reproducible measurements in Bally and Maeser dynamic tests and in static tests to determine water absorption,” said Dr. Thomas Brackemeyer, head of the Organic Leather Chemicals business line (BL OLC) in the LANXESS Leather business unit.

Levotan W, a functionalised, silicone-containing  micro emulsion, and Levotan WM, a high-performance synthetic polymer for making leather waterproof, enable tanners to achieve perfect results. The resulting leather is tight, lighter in weight and offers a dry, more natural feel. The system gives excellent dyeing properties, including a high level of colour consistency for hides and skins and harmonious coloring with flesh and grain tone-in-tone. This makes it ideal for all types of waterproof leather, including nubuck.

Focus on sustainability
In its Sustainable Leather Management program, Lanxess says it offers its leather industry customers innovative technologies to support the production of sustainable, eco-friendly products and processes without compromising on quality.

“Lanxess is committed to the growth of the leather industry in India. We focus substantially on efficient production and processing techniques owing to our technical expertise to ensure that we develop value-added leather in a sustainable way. This gives our customers a competitive advantage, opening up new mutual business opportunities,” said ajasekaran Padmanaban, General Manager & Head of Business Unit - Leather, Lanxess India.