Bio tannery created in Brazil with the help of Amazonian fish

World Today

Bio tannery created in Brazil with the help of Amazonian fish

Most modern leather tanning techniques create a lot of toxic byproducts that pollute the environment. And it’s that reality that helped give rise to an exotic bio tannery in the mountains of Brazil. The company has made a name and place for itself in the fashion world – with the help of a giant Amazonian fish.

CCTV’s Lucrecia Franco reports the story.
Follow Lucrecia C. Franco on Twitter @LucreciaFranco

Hidden in the mountain region of Tres Rios, some 100-kilometers from Rio de Janeiro, a Brazilian exotic bio tannery has something to boast about.

“As far as fish goes, we are the biggest fish tannery in the world,” said Paulo Amaury Costa, the Co-owner of Nova Kaeru.

It is called Nova Kaeru and it specializes in the production of these Amazonian fish leathers for the luxury goods industry. The end-products are chic and ecofriendly.

Among the company’s resources one of the world’s largest fresh water fish – the Pirarucu – native to the Brazilian Amazon that can reach up to 3 meters in length.

Up until about five years ago, its skin would’ve been discarded, as the meat is a major food source, but now it is sold to the tannery that uses it to produce one hundred thousand leather pieces each year.

“Now it is being used by the big brands in fashion, mainly ethical fashion, because it is sustainable. It has to do with the livelihood of the Indian populations in the Amazon and it is a controlled species,” said Paulo Amaury Costa, the Co-owner of Nova Kaeru.

The organic process transforms the hard skin of the fish into this soft-touch leather. It is beautiful, but also expensive.