Leather Cluster Barcelona presents Re-Genera,
a global Circular Economy project for the leather sector

This Wednesday 29 June, at an event exclusively for members at Adoberia Bella, Leather Cluster Barcelona gave the general presentation of the Re-Genera Project, focused on the valorisation of by-products of the leather sector.

In the process of transforming the animal's hide, by-products are generated which today are being revalued so that they can be treated as resources and become secondary raw materials (SRM) for the production of new products that meet other kinds of needs in different sectors.

The cluster has been developing this global project in order to gain a broader view of how to optimise the valorisation of the by-products and waste from the production process of the entire leather industry value chain. Over recent months, the Leather Cluster Circular Economy committee has worked intensively, delving into the sector of the valorisation of waste and organic resources, holding various meetings with companies, visiting advanced centres and studying Circular Economy trends that can serve as inspiration and as a basis for cooperation for the cluster's companies and stakeholders in facing the future together.

At the session on the Re-Genera project, Mònica Santamans and Bernat Vilarrubias, Project Manager and President of Leather Cluster Barcelona, gave a general presentation on the working process and the conclusions of the work carried out over the past year. The medium-term objective, in line with consumer demands and European directives, is zero waste in the leather sector, ruling out the use of landfill, and for this reason work is under way so that resources which until now have been treated as waste can be considered by-products.

The Circular Economy is a fundamental strategic pillar for Leather Cluster Barcelona. In this regard, the Re-Genera project, under the cluster's leadership, pursues excellence in valorisation in order to transform the by-products and organic resources arising from the tanning process in Catalonia, by means of technology and innovation, into products with high added value, such as amino acids used as biostimulants for organic farming, as well as oils for biodiesel as a source of energy.

With this major cross-cutting strategic project involving all the stakeholders in the leather industry value chain, Leather Cluster Barcelona reaffirms its commitment to the sustainable use of natural resources, to the lowest possible environmental impact in production and to the efficient management of the waste and secondary raw materials generated by the leather sector. In a sector such as leather, which is constantly being transformed and faces new challenges, the cluster's aim is to be a driving and transforming agent for the development of new business opportunities through the competitive cooperation of the entire value chain.

Leather Cluster Barcelona is an environment of competitive cooperation for promoting cross-cutting, transformative strategic projects with the aim of driving the ecosystem of the Catalan leather sector. The cluster is an entity accredited under the Catalonia Clusters programme and is supported by Acció.