22 Nov 2022

The chief executive of footwear group Ecco, Panos Mytaros, has told Leatherbiz that the company remains committed to producing and using leather, writes Leatherbiz.

 

 

He made the comments in the wake of an announcement that the group’s tanning division, Ecco Leather, which Mr Mytaros used to run, had entered into an agreement with a New York-based mycelium technology provider, Ecovative. The two companies announced on November 11 that they would work together to develop mycelium materials for use in a range of finished products.

Panos Mytaros explained that Ecco Leather had already spent seven years looking into the possibility of making a new material that was “grown from nature”, but non-animal-based as well as free from polyurethane and other plastics.

“The world needs polyurethane-free material,” the Ecco chief executive said. But he said that no one should interpret this development as a move away from leather on Ecco’s part. He said it was simply a question of giving consumers the variety they want.

“People can interpret things however they want, but this is not an alternative to leather,” he said of the mycelium material. “We are clear that Ecco Leather is a leather maker and our commitment to leather remains. But we are a leather maker that pushes innovation and is trying to make an old-fashioned industry modern.”

He said Ecco Leather would continue its efforts to help leather claim its place in the circular economy, but he added that he feared circular innovations the company has already come up with, mentioning the DriTan tanning technology it introduced in 2018 as an example, were receiving less attention than they deserve.

At the time of its launch, Ecco Leather said DriTan would allow it to save 250 million litres of water per year at its tannery in the Netherlands.

關於亞太區皮革展 ​

我們為皮革、物料及時裝業界創造面對面洽談的機會,爲客戶締造實質商機。我們雲集世界各地的商家,讓他們尋找新的合作伙伴,發掘潛在客戶或供應商,並掌握業界最新發展。

 

我們主辦多個專注時尚及生活潮流的商貿展覽會, 為這不斷變化的行業,提供最全面的買家及參展商服務,方便他們了解急速轉變的行業環境,並預測來季趨勢。

社交媒體:​

聯絡我們: