Usually, this honour is only conferred upon technology producers. ‘The fact that this status has now been given to a tannery underlines ISA Tan Tec's pioneering role for the industry as a whole: With our LITE concept - Low Impact to the Environment - we are drastically cutting our resource consumption,' explains Thomas Schneider, founder and ceo of ISA Tan Tec. The ‘high-tech' status comes with a 40% tax deduction. Connected with this is the requirement to conduct three in-house research projects per year, which are reviewed and evaluated by the authorities.

LITE is based on a product's CO2 footprint, which involves documenting the carbon dioxide emissions for each square metre of leather produced. LITE standards are based on calculations by the BLC Leather Technology Centre on behalf of LWG (Leather Working Group) for average energy and water consumption in the industry - LITE products are produced with roughly 35% less energy and 50% less water.

ISA Tan Tec fulfills LITE requirements by employing a number of individual measures. For instance, the tannery uses a new technology in the tanning vessels, which reduces the consumption of water and energy. Additionally, they dry the leather at lower temperatures. The leather manufacturer also uses renewable energy whenever possible. The company have installed a solar thermal system to heat the water required for the tanning process. ISA Tan Tec also recycle energy and water: The warmth of the machines is utilised to heat water, the condensate water that occurs during the leather drying process is recycled and re-used as process water.