What does “being sustainable” mean? For a company like BCN Tanneries, with decades of tradition behind it, it means thinking at 360°, welcoming all critical issues in production as opportunities for improvement. BCN’s objective is quality: of product, of reduction of environmental impact, of governance and internal training, as explained by Roberto Lupi (in the photo), president of the Tuscan tannery. Report by La Conceria.

The value of training

BCN recently experienced a new adventure. What value and meaning does it have for a tanning company to be among the case studies of a Sole 24 Ore training course that prepares Sustainability Manager figures?

BCN Tanneries is the result of decades of commitment and perseverance. This is why we like training activities. We can share the added value that leather brings to the Italian industry. It gives us great satisfaction to see our tannery as a case study for future Sustainability Managers. I trust that it is only one of the first activities to share the initiatives and virtuous practices that the tanning sector can implement to offer a leather product that is its symbol.

How does all this fit into the context of the important green results and more, achieved in 2023 by BCN, such as the three-year Sustainability Report?

Yes, the three-year Sustainability Report was an excellent test bed. Systematizing all areas of sustainability has allowed us to see with a critical and satisfied eye where we have arrived in our growth path. BCN is not simply manufacturing: it is the connection of activities aimed at the production of high quality leather, from all points of view.

The future of sustainability in Italy

You have repeatedly underlined the centrality of scientific research for the growth of the company. How much are you investing in this, also in terms of human capital?

BCN’s research projects are mostly aimed at reducing the environmental impacts of production. At the moment we are involved on multiple fronts. A researcher in Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Engineering is collaborating with us on a project dedicated to the study of the circularity of leather. Our doctoral student is specializing in LCA calculation, which we will need to perfect the design of articles from an eco-design perspective. At the same time, in this period, a researcher from the University of Pisa is conducting analyzes directly at BCN for the Revoc4Life project on reducing the impacts of VOCs in the atmosphere.

Near future

How do you look to 2024 both with respect to the performance of the company and of the entire leather supply chain sector?

BCN will certainly continue on the path of high product quality and research, committing itself increasingly to intensifying interventions in favor of the environment. I am convinced, as much as my colleagues in the leather sector are, that the path to quality, competence and research is complex and difficult. But it remains the only way forward to achieve a truly sustainable economy.