PrimeAsia tannery earns gold award

Recent investment has reportedly increased production capacity in Vietnam to more than six million square feet of leather per month.

PrimeAsia’s operation in Vietnam has been awarded the Leather Working Group’s gold certification, which follows an investment of over $40 million (£28.9 million) during recent years in technology to position the unit among the most modern and efficient tanneries in the world. The investment is said to have increased production capacity in Vietnam to more than six million square feet of leather per month. Focus was placed on reducing the amount of energy and water used in processing, and included the expansion of water recycling, the use of renewable energy, and further improvements in safety and waste management.

“We are very proud of the results of this audit. It shows the importance of having long-term strategies for sustainability,” commented PrimeAsia chief executive Jon Clark. “By having clear goals, we were able to create the structure to supply a sector that is becoming every day more demanding in terms of speed, quality and innovation, without losing our focus on cleaner production methods.”

In 2018, PrimeAsia announced a five-year sustainability plan culminating in 2023, the direction of which, the company states, is reinforced by this gold certification award. Within a list of targets, the sustainability plan aims to reduce the amount of fresh water required in production by 30 per cent and energy by 15 per cent, while increasing the use of recycled water and renewable energy in the process to 70 per cent and 75 per cent respectively.

According to the company’s chief sustainability officer Fernando Bellese, the aggressive targets set by PrimeAsia require an ongoing effort to ensure that they are reached by the end of 2023.

“While the LWG gold-rated certification shows that we are headed in the right direction, it is also a good reminder that we need to continue improving and investing’” he said. “In 2021, we have important projects, such as further investments in waste processing, energy monitoring, renewable sources and water treatment, that will continue to move us towards our corporate goals.”

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 2 of the April 2021 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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