ABSTRACT
This chapter presents explores leather production process and its pollution load. It is concerned with the change in environmental regulation in Brazil, both in terms of the law and its enforcement. The chapter attempts to answer the specific questions of the extent and the ways in which economic liberalisation has influenced the environmental performance of the tanning industry. The stronger tanneries buy the bankrupt or weak companies and create scale advantages through accumulated production capacity. Tanning is the process of converting raw animal hides into leather. Leather is a unique and flexible material combining strength with softness and resistance to decay. The collagen fibres which make up the hides are then treated chemically to make the leather strong and resistant to biological decay. The surface and body of the leather can then be treated in a multitude of different ways to obtain the colour, look, feel or other qualities required by the customer.
