The leather industry faces an existential challenge that requires immediate and decisive action. The proliferation of petroleum-derived synthetic materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU), has been deceptively marketed under the guise of sustainability. These materials — branded with misleading terms like “vegan leather,” “plant-based leather,” “eco-leather,” and other greenwashing nicknames — require thousands of years to biodegrade and pose significant environmental risks. By contrast, leather’s inherent attributes — including its durability, biodegradability, and status as a byproduct of the meat and dairy industries — offer a genuine opportunity to meet global sustainability demands. However, the industry’s outdated practices and hesitancy to innovate jeopardize this potential.
NHQ autonomous leather inspection is a transformative solution to these challenges. By enabling precise sorting and grading EARLY in the production process, NHQ IDENTIFIES DEFECTS IN WET BLUE HIDES BEFORE SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES ARE INVESTED.
NHQ will drastically reduce material waste and optimize the use of water, chemicals, electricity, and labor. Additionally, this solution minimizes landfill contributions, drives cost efficiencies, offers real-time and cost-efficient traceability, and preserves the increasingly scarce skill of leather inspection within the tanning industry.
Beyond adopting innovative solutions like NHQ, the leather industry must establish rigorous sustainability benchmarks and reclaim its narrative as a truly eco-conscious material.
Transparency and modernization are essential to combat the greenwashing of synthetics and to educate consumers on leather’s genuine advantages.
Only through decisive action can the industry secure its market position and uphold its legacy as a sustainable and premium material. Failure to act risks irreparable reputational and economic damage.