Royal Smit & Zoon

💡 Turning Waste into Wonders🐄 As long as meat remains part of our global diet, cows will continue to be slaughtered. At Royal Smit & Zoon, we commend the efforts of industries that find innovative ways to repurpose the parts of the cow that are not used for meat, ensuring nothing goes to waste. This includes cow’s hairs, repurposed in brushes, air filters, insulation and textiles. Or collagen derived from the skin, used in anti-aging creams. As well as certain elements of the skin used in gelatin, adhesives, sheetrock and wallpaper, to name but a few. From brain to hair to skin, every part of a cow has a purpose 🐄 Find this interesting? Read more about how nothing goes to waste here: https://lnkd.in/e4z_EFHb

🇭🇰 Looking back at APLF Hongkong with a smile From March 12-14, Royal Smit & Zoon was present at the APLF Leather exhibition in Hongkong. We really enjoyed meeting so many of you in person! At our booth, visitors had the opportunity to experience Zeology leather with all of their senses. Many visitors came in to discover our top quality leather, or enjoy a traditional tea ceremony. We’ve had meaningful conversations and received many positive reactions, for which we are grateful. 🙏🏼 A special mention to Mr. Su, owner of Fucrown Company, our agent for China and Taiwan of over 35 years, who met with Salva Vidal at our booth. It is always good to meet our valued partners in person! #aplfhongkong #aplf #zeologyleather #zeology #leatherreinvented

👏🏼 Congratulations to Rompa Leather! At Royal Smit & Zoon we are proud to be working with LWG Gold certified partners. It is an important step toward a sustainable leather value chain. Therefore, we are extremely happy that our longtime partner Rompa has improved their certification from Silver to Gold. This achievement underlines their commitment to quality, sustainability and craftsmanship; a commitment we wholeheartedly share!

💦 In the fast-paced world of leather manufacturing, there’s one golden rule that often gets overlooked: leather needs time! When it comes to washing, neutralizing, and retanning, careful control over every step is essential to achieving superior water resistance. Here, we share some useful insights for washing, neutralizing and retanning to create waterproof leather: ❗Minimize surfactants for better waterproofing Degreasing and wetting agents help clean and rehydrate wet-blue leather, but they negatively impact water resistance. Instead of rushing the process, tanners can extend running times or use an overnight wetting-back method without surfactants for better long-term results. ❗Get rechroming & neutralization right: - Thorough rechroming improves waterproofing, especially when working with externally sourced wet-blue hides. - Neutralization should be controlled and gradual, aiming for a pH range of 4.5 to 6.5, depending on the desired leather characteristics. Lower pH levels (4.5 - 4.8) often yield tighter-grained, more resilient leather. - Any loosely bound chrome should be fixed to avoid interference with waterproofing treatments. ❗Retanning considerations for maximum performance: - Wash thoroughly after neutralization to remove residual salts and surfactants that can increase water uptake. - Be selective with retanning agents! Syntans, resins, and polymers can contain hydrophilic materials that hinder water resistance. Always test products in small-scale trials before full implementation. - Standard vegetable extracts (like chestnut, mimosa, and quebracho) can be beneficial for leather structure and help distribute waterproofing agents—but avoid sweetened or bleached extracts, as they contain hydrophilic compounds.   💡 Key insight Waterproof leather isn’t just about the right chemicals - it’s about carefully managing processing time, selecting materials wisely, and ensuring even penetration of waterproofing agents. Patience and precision lead to the best performance. 📌 Get more insights and practical tips about the other steps in the waterproof leather making process from our Waterproof Leather Making Guidelines. Download the guideline here: https://lnkd.in/efT9Ejgg

🧀 “Het is hier gezellig!” said no Brazilian/Bulgarian/Colombian/Indian/South African/ Frenchwoman/Turk/Italian/Chinese/Brit ever. Except when enrolled in the Royal Smit & Zoon Dutch lessons… Being an international company, we have multiple nationalities in all of our offices. Being a Dutch company, we like to share our heritage. Therefore, we offer our international employees Dutch lessons. 🇳🇱 Last year, 12 colleagues with 11 nationalities participated in the Dutch course. To learn more about grammar, conversational skills and Dutch customs (including ‘gezelligheid’). Moreover, the lessons prove to be a good teambuilding exercise. Commiserating over the pronunciation of the hard ‘g’ makes you connect to your classmates like nothing else 😉 Two participants share their experiences with the Dutch lessons: Guilherme (Brazilian): “I found the most valuable aspect to be the interaction with both my colleagues and the professor, along with the opportunity to further immerse myself in Dutch language and culture.” Teenu (Indian): “I really enjoyed the course. The part I enjoyed most is learning the grammar part and using it in the correct form, also improving my vocabulary.” What is your favorite Dutch saying..?

This International Women’s Day, we are glad to be able to report that the percentage of women in our global top management exceeds that of our industry. 🚺/🚹 In science, technology, engineering and mathematics (also known as STEM) women represent only 25% of all employees. At Royal Smit & Zoon, we currently employ 71% male and 29% female workers. In our Board of Management this number rises to 33%, and in global top management roles to 32%. 📈 While we are glad to outperform the industry with these numbers, we are also well aware that there is still plenty of room for improvement. This is reflected by our Guiding Principles, which have diversity and inclusion at the heart. Our ESG Policy as well as our Employee Code of Conduct also include clear directives and HR performance measures. 🎖️ As a chemical company, we recognize the need for diversity in our teams, to be able to arrive at innovative ideas and to bring different perspectives together. We believe that having a diverse workplace, in which we value everyone’s voice and contribution, adds to overall business success. 🥳 Happy International Women’s Day to all of our female employees and women in our extended network!

🔬 The Hidden Potential of Cows 🐄 Did you know that virtually every part of a cow can be transformed into valuable materials? To be used in everyday products, such as pasta and medicines. And from cosmetics to plastic. As long as meat consumption continues, the slaughter of cows will remain inevitable. At Royal Smit & Zoon, we greatly value the efforts of industries that creatively reuse the non-meat parts of cows, thereby reducing waste. Such as repurposing elements extracted from cow blood, as ingredients for dyes and inks, and laboratory research materials. Or using manure as fertilizer. Or milk to provide useful elements for medicines, plastics and adhesives. The leather industry, too, thrives on innovation like this, and we’re proud to lead the way in that particular area. Providing a sustainable tanning agent (Zeology), for instance, to upcycle cow hides to the highest quality of leather. Together, we can create a greener future. 🌿 Find this interesting? Read more about how nothing goes to waste here: https://lnkd.in/e4z_EFHb

At Royal Smit & Zoon we like to be ahead of the curve. In our industry, as well as in fashion 😉 We are thrilled to see that suede is widely acknowledged by fashion authorities to be ‘the material of 2025’. The refined material is as versatile as it is classy. 🤎 With its velvety texture and rich, natural appeal, suede adds a touch of sophistication to any outfit. Whether in clothing, footwear, accessories, or bags. Coming season, we even see a lot of full suede looks, with skirts and jackets in the same color, or pant suits completely in ton-sur-ton suede. 🌱 Besides being extremely stylish, suede is also a superb sustainable choice, as it decomposes more easily, as less finishing products are applied. When tanned with Zeology, suede can be turned into grade A compost. ♻️ A good example of both stylish and sustainable, is the Puma RE:SUEDE sneaker. Released in 2022, this iconic sneaker, made with Zeology leather and other fully compostable materials, already set the tone. Discover how this timeless material combines style and sustainability on our website: https://lnkd.in/eNexZRSw

💦 Achieving superior water resistance in leather starts at the beamhouse stage. Here, fiber structure, chemical penetration, and process control make all the difference. 🔹 Why fiber structure matters A well-opened fiber structure ensures better chemical penetration and water resistance. While compact leather is firmer, it requires more processing time due to increased capillary pressure during flexing. 🔹 Optimizing soaking and liming Using appropriate soaking agents, liming, and deliming auxiliaries enhances the process. However, less is more when it comes to non-ionic auxiliaries (like emulsifiers and degreasers), as they can compromise waterproof properties. Instead, enzyme-based solutions (like lipases) provide a more effective and sustainable alternative. 🔹 The critical role of deliming Thorough deliming removes residual calcium ions, preventing interference with hydrophobic fatliquors and ensuring even distribution. Follow this with thorough washing to eliminate surface-active agents that might impact final waterproofing. 🔹 Tanning & fatliquoring considerations Avoid electrolyte-stable fatliquors in pickle and (chrome) tannage, as they negatively impact water resistance. Instead, carefully selecting raw materials and wet-blue hides helps ensure consistent, high-quality results. 💡 Key insight Successful waterproof leather production is about precision at every stage—from fiber opening to chemical selection. A well-planned beamhouse process sets the foundation for premium, high-performance leather. 📌 Get more insights and practical tips about the other steps in the waterproof leather making process from our Waterproof Leather Making Guidelines. Download the guideline here: https://lnkd.in/efT9Ejgg

💦 Achieving high-quality waterproof leather involves more than just selecting the right fatliquor… 🧐 Making waterproof or water repellent leather requires meticulous attention to various leather processing parameters. At Royal Smit & Zoon's we have come up with some practical guidelines, based on comprehensive insights into this intricate process. Some important insights: 🔄 Adopt an holistic approach: Effective waterproofing encompasses proper running times, temperature control, thorough washing, and polyvalent metal fixing. ↗️ Optimize the process: From initial beam-house operations to neutralizing and retanning, each stage plays a pivotal role in enhancing water resistance. *️⃣ Product Selection: Choosing appropriate soaking agents, liming auxiliaries, and avoiding certain surfactants can significantly impact the leather's waterproof qualities. For a deeper dive into producing superior waterproof leather, download the full Guidelines here: https://lnkd.in/efT9Ejgg