We could start like this: where were we? Subject: Conceria del Chienti, a historic Tolentino-based company that recently crossed the threshold of 100 years in business. A milestone of the highest order, especially given the repeated and dramatic issues they had to face and overcome over the past 15 years. We go back to the end of 2022, when (as we recounted here), CTC had started a revolution thanks to a “solid synergy between the public and private sectors” – read a press release -. The corporate structure, in fact, had the AST Sustainability fund as the majority shareholder (51%) alongside Invitalia (49%), which intervened through the Fondo Salvaguardia Imprese, promoted by MIMIT. That is to say, an entirely new governance model for the Italian tanning scene.
Where we were left off
And we go back further to September 2020, when Del Chienti, while looking for survival solutions, had exhibited for the last time at Lineapelle, in the edition that will go down for the particular exhibition formula, due to the pandemic. Here it is: now, on the strength of his revolution, Del Chienti returns to Lineapelle (Sept. 23-25 at Fiera Milano Rho). And it does so with a new production and business paradigm, as explained by its CEO Marco Luppa, who entered CTC in April 2013 to lead it to liquidation and ended up never leaving CTC, managing – together with its employees – to save it.
CTC returns to Lineapelle
What does it mean for CTC to return to Lineapelle?
Under CTC’s previous management, I went to Lineapelle 13 times. The last one, in 2020: the Covid edition. Returning today has a fundamental meaning. Lineapelle is the most important showcase for the whole world revolving around leather, including technology, and for us means coming back to this fair with a very simple goal: to show what we have been able to do.
What have you done from the end of 2022 to the present?
We have gone beyond words and hopes. We have made something almost impossible into something concrete, considering the historical moment we are living in. In the last 26 months we have put to work 20 million euros of investment, despite the fact that the period certainly doesn’t incentivize investment and makes it very complex to make development projections. We have financed a complete technological modernization. We have transformed the Tolentino plant into a 5.0, digital and interconnected factory, with state-of-the-art machinery such as new polypropylene buttons, a revolutionary heat pump and radio frequency drying system, a 600 KW photovoltaic system and a leather cutting department.
Going beyond the surface (of the leather)
A revolution that will change how you approach production?
We base everything on a new tanning paradigm. That is, we measure leather in environmental and economic efficiency value, not surface. This completely changes the approach to the customer who becomes a partner. We believe that, even more so today, aggregation, sharing and being able to be together ethically, transparently and with respect for roles are the only ways to make a living in this industry. We need to be able to share problems in order to share solutions.
What do you think of the current market situation in the fashion industry?
I think a market crisis like this was impossible to even imagine. The past data and parameters on which to build a growth projection are very uncertain. The target markets of high-end and so-called luxury, how will they evolve? Will they still exist in the quantities and ways in which we experienced them until a few seasons ago? Answering, at this time isn’t easy, but certainly it’s essential to rethink the model and approach of this business by making it more streamlined and flexible.
The first fruits of the revolution
So how can one stay afloat in this stormy sea?
By putting all possible relationships to use to talk differently about leather, which is a highly sustainable material, but like all things it is improvable and optimizable. So, aiming for something alternative to the past, going-as mentioned-beyond the surface of leather and observing how brands, which are in the midst of restructuring, will react to this proposal of ours. The early signs are encouraging.
What results have you achieved so far?
We have real, certified numbers that also ended up in Invitalia’s Sustainability Report as a case history. With the same square meters of hides processed, the certified figures for 2024 compared to the previous year show a drastic reduction in consumption. -72% use of cubic meters of methane. -54% use of cubic meters of water. -27% consumption of kWh of electricity. When we set out on this journey, we did it not to simply save a company, but to create a new paradigm. These are the first fruits of the work done.
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