News
Lab-grown leather company increases skin sample size
Botswana Meat Commission invests in tannery upgrade
The Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) is to upgrade the tannery plant at its head office location in Lobatse.
A UK tissue engineering company that successfully produced lab-grown leather earlier this year has produced an increased size of cultivated skin tissue at its laboratory in Newcastle . Lab-Grown Leather (LGL, formerly 3D
Bio-Tissues), a UK-based biotech start-up company owned by BSF Enterprise, has produced lab-grown leather grown solely from animal cells, creating skin to be tanned for use in the luxury goods market. The team produced an animal skin tissue measuring up to 10x10cm in size and over 2mm (2.8mm before tanning) in thickness, building on the 0.5mm thickness of tissue that was displayed at the Future Fabrics Expo leather show back in June.
Dr Che Connon, managing director of BSF Enterprise, said the company had now developed a codified standard operating system, that can be transferred, translated and adopted by other companies to develop lab-grown leather using LGL’s technology.
He added: “Our tissue engineering technology has the potential to solve some of the fashion industry’s greatest ethical and environmental challenges. Technological development is progressing at an impressive speed, and the process is now ready to advance from inside our research and development lab to a pilot- scale manufacturing operation to facilitate knowledge on scale-up processes as well as supply limited amounts to partners within the fashion industry.“ LGL’s tissue-engineered skin uses only immortalised cells – isolated and collected from an adult animal following a strict and painless bioethics process – to produce a tannable skin structure in a lab. LGL’s lab- grown leather does not use any additional supporting materials, such as plastics or cellulose in the final skin product. The process makes use of a serum-free and animal-free cell culture media supplement, City-mix, which accelerates tissue formation while reducing the cost of the production process. Similar to farm-grown leather, this lab-grown material is expected to be completely biodegradable in 10-50 years.
The upgraded tannery will process hides to the blue leather stage, creating new opportunities for value-added exports. This will contribute to the development of Botswana’s Lobatse Special Economic Zone (SEZ), where additional investors will be encouraged to further process wet blue leather into finished goods such as shoes, bags, car seats and jackets.
This is aligned with the government’s Reset Agenda – Priority No. 4 Value Chains Development, which leverages state-owned enterprises as anchors for value chain development, enabling the private sector. BMC chief executive officer, David
Tsheboeng, emphasised the broader implications of the tannery revitalisation: “This investment goes beyond infrastructure. It sets the foundation for Botswana to become a major player in the leather industry. By revitalising the tannery,
we are positioning ourselves for long-term global competitiveness and sustainable economic growth.”
The tannery project includes the establishment of an on-site effluent treatment plant to meet wastewater treatment quality standards, ensuring environmental sustainability. As well as the tannery, BMC is also investing in the development of a new meat value addition and secondary processing plant.
These projects are expected to boost job creation, increase export potential, and align with Botswana’s broader goals of industrialisation and economic diversification. BMC claimed that this project is “yet another example of BMC’s leadership in driving Botswana’s economic growth and creating lasting value for local communities. The commission is confident that these initiatives will position Botswana as a leader in both the global meat and leather industries.”
IULTCS invites submissions for 2025 Young Leather Scientist Grants
The International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) is inviting submissions from those eligible to receive one of its Young Leather Scientist Grants for 2025. The Young Leather Scientist Grants were created to recognise outstanding achievements in three different categories by individual young scientists.
The award categories, and the areas they cover, are as follows:
1) Basic Leather Research Grant – €1,500 ■ basic research in collagen and/or leather ■ analytical method development ■ innovative leather processing or new chemicals thereof
■ hide/skin preservation ■ tannery waste treatment ■ environmental studies applied to the tanneries
2) Professor Mike Redwood Sustainability/Environmental Grant – €1,000
Leather International /
www.leathermag.com
■ innovative environmental techniques – e.g. wastewater treatment, solid waste and emissions
■ studies on sustainability leather processing ■ new chemicals for leather processing improving environmental impact – e.g. carbon footprint and/or water management
3) Leather machinery/equipment grant – €1,000 ■ innovative new machinery for leather processing
■ simplification and/or rationalisation of leather production
■ increased efficiency through e.g. energy savings
The applicants for the grant must not be older than 35 at the date of submission, be a student or scientist on a university or a leather school, and have an advisor at their institution. The deadline for submissions is 30 November 2024, with the winner being announced on 30 January 2025, and the awards paid on 15 February 2025.
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