Colorful hides are really green

His EcoHides are 100 percent leather and 100 percent green. They debuted at the recent HD Expo in Las Vegas.

“If everyone did their small part we can make a difference in deterring global warming — EcoHides is our contribution. Think globally and act locally is not just a catchy line for us, it’s a commitment. That is why we’ve created a new product line conscious of how we affect the environment,” said Imasdounian.

The owner of Danfield Inc., the only finishing plant west of Wisconsin, said he was inspired to create the natural, eco-friendly process by his California lifestyle that respects Earth’s resources.

Instead of traditional tanning methods, which incorporate chrome and other metal-heavy chemicals, Imasdounian has developed a process that uses a proprietary blend of extracts from farm-bred Mimosa trees to treat the leather. He said it took about a year and a half to develop the process.

Additionally, for every tree that is cut down, the company replaces it with a young sapling.

Despite the differences in how the leather is treated, Imasdounian said the eco-friendly method doesn’t lengthen the overall time it takes to transform the raw material into something beautiful and usable by very much.

Not only are Imasdounian and Danfield changing the way leather is treated at the finishing plant in Commerce, Calif., the facility itself is becoming more environment friendly. To reduce the plant’s energy use, it has converted to efficient light bulbs and added skylights. Other efforts include recycling 30 percent of the water used to treat the hides; using compact, single-line machinery with a digitally controlled system that produces minimum waste; vacuuming and compressing all airborne dust and by-products for safe disposal; and recycling all office waste including paper and ink cartridges.

Imasdounian also has future plans to implement solar and steam energy to be more efficient and reduce Danfield’s carbon footprint.

Being green does come at a price. Imasdounian said it costs 15-20 percent more to purchase EcoHides than those that have been tanned traditionally. However, he believes the reduced impact on the environment outweighs the costs and hopes it will eventually become standard practice in the industry.

As with other leathers, EcoHides come in a variety of grades and are currently available in eight standard colors, which are dyed using natural colorants. Custom colors also can be created, he said.

It can be used like any leather material and is breathable, easier to shape without pleats or creases and has a higher flexibility of use than chemically treated hides. Plus, he said the green hides are softer and feel better.

He admits the green hides may be slightly less durable and more sensitive to sunlight, but says that theoretically and with proper care, they can last forever.

Imasdounian knows all about leather’s lasting properties. He learned the trade from the ground up at the side of his father, who had learned from his father, who started a leather tannery in the 1880s in Adana, Turkey. Imasdounian, who immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon in the late 1970s, founded Danfield in 1981.

In addition to supplying manufacturers with leather, Danfield offers the hides directly to the public and interior designers.

For more information, visit www.EcoHides.com.