Application of Modular Design in Upcycling Solid Leather Waste: A Sustainable Development Approach from Ethiopia

Abstract

Fast changes in fashion trends have stimulated customers’ buying behavior; this has increased the demand for leather products. Fulfilling this demand requires unsustainable practices of overproduction and utilization of resources leading to increased waste generation. By far, the highest percentage of waste generated in the leather product industry is from the cutting section. Since leather scraps retain most of the chemicals added in the processing stage, disposal of this waste in landfills contributes to a higher degree of environmental pollution. This paper introduces modular design techniques for the upcycling of solid leather wastes created at the cutting stage. This contributes to creating a more sustainable approach in leather product development through the reuse of waste material, reducing required resources, and avoiding waste disposal to the environment. Primary data gathered from export-oriented leather goods manufacturing industries in Ethiopia identified a percentage of waste created at the cutting stage. Further, the physical property characterization of leather scraps was carried out to determine the appropriate modular design that can reuse the highest percentage of solid waste. The project concludes that most of the solid scraps disposed of in the leather product industry are in both areas and quality useable as raw material for the manufacturing of marketable sustainable leather products.