Biodegradability of Chromium-Free Finished Leather Through ISO 14855-1:2012 and ISO 20136:2020: A Multi-Faceted Analytical Approach
- 1Footwear Technological Institute (INESCOP), C/Alemania 102—Polígono Campo Alto, 03600 Elda, Spain
- 2Department of Applied Statistics, Operational Research, and Quality, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
- 3Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition, and Food Sciences, University of Alicante, Crta\ San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n, 03080 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
Abstract
While various methodologies have been used to evaluate leather biodegradability, limited data exist regarding their respective strengths, limitations and complementarity, especially for finished leathers produced using chrome-free tanning systems. Consequently, this work assesses the biodegradation of eight commercial eco-friendly tanned finished leathers (phenolic-, zeolite-, aluminium- and titanium-based treatments) using two standardised laboratory approaches, ISO 14855-1:2012 (controlled composting) and ISO 20136:2020 (liquid-phase biodegradation), together with physicochemical characterisation and phytotoxicity/ecotoxicity endpoints. The results showed that biodegradation generally occurred faster under ISO 20136:2020 conditions, mainly because this assay uses ground leather shavings and an aqueous, well-mixed medium, whereas ISO 14855-1:2012 evaluates mineralisation of larger leather pieces in a compost matrix. Phenolic- and titanium-tanned leathers showed consistently high biodegradation in both assays, whereas the aluminium-tanned leather biodegraded efficiently under ISO 14855-1:2012 but showed limited biodegradation under ISO 20136:2020, highlighting that assay conditions can reveal constraints related to the complete material architecture, collagen stabilisation, effective accessibility and method-specific exposure conditions rather than to a single leaching mechanism. Phytotoxicity and ecotoxicity assessments indicated low environmental impact of the degradation products under the tested conditions. Overall, the combined use of both standards provides a more comprehensive and industrially useful framework for assessing the end-of-life behaviour of finished leathers than either method alone.
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BibTeX
@article{vico2026biodegradability,
title = {{Biodegradability of Chromium-Free Finished Leather Through ISO 14855-1:2012 and ISO 20136:2020: A Multi-Faceted Analytical Approach}},
author = {Alberto Vico and María I. Maestre-López and Jose Miguel Carot-Sierra and Irene Lifante-Martinez and Elena Orgilés-Calpena and Guillermo Grindlay and Marcelo Bertazzo},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/polym18192389},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667235},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Biodegradability of Chromium-Free Finished Leather Through ISO 14855-1:2012 and ISO 20136:2020: A Multi-Faceted Analytical Approach
AU - Alberto Vico
AU - María I. Maestre-López
AU - Jose Miguel Carot-Sierra
AU - Irene Lifante-Martinez
AU - Elena Orgilés-Calpena
AU - Guillermo Grindlay
AU - Marcelo Bertazzo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18192389
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667235
AB - While various methodologies have been used to evaluate leather biodegradability, limited data exist regarding their respective strengths, limitations and complementarity, especially for finished leathers produced using chrome-free tanning systems. Consequently, this work assesses the biodegradation of eight commercial eco-friendly tanned finished leathers (phenolic-, zeolite-, aluminium- and titanium-based treatments) using two standardised laboratory approaches, ISO 14855-1:2012 (controlled composting) and ISO 20136:2020 (liquid-phase biodegradation), together with physicochemical characterisation and phytotoxicity/ecotoxicity endpoints. The results showed that biodegradation generally occurred faster under ISO 20136:2020 conditions, mainly because this assay uses ground leather shavings and an aqueous, well-mixed medium, whereas ISO 14855-1:2012 evaluates mineralisation of larger leather pieces in a compost matrix. Phenolic- and titanium-tanned leathers showed consistently high biodegradation in both assays, whereas the aluminium-tanned leather biodegraded efficiently under ISO 14855-1:2012 but showed limited biodegradation under ISO 20136:2020, highlighting that assay conditions can reveal constraints related to the complete material architecture, collagen stabilisation, effective accessibility and method-specific exposure conditions rather than to a single leaching mechanism. Phytotoxicity and ecotoxicity assessments indicated low environmental impact of the degradation products under the tested conditions. Overall, the combined use of both standards provides a more comprehensive and industrially useful framework for assessing the end-of-life behaviour of finished leathers than either method alone.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -