ABOUT JOSEF HEINEN

• Founded in 1891 in Germany by the eponymous Josef Heinen, the company has become an award-winning modern Leather tannery. Its current CEO, Thomas Heinen, is a fourth-generation representative of the family.
• Josef Heinen especially focuses on the production of technical upper leathers in the outdoor and military sectors.
• Customers can choose from a range of leather thickness (1.3-3.0 millimetres), with a variety of grains and hydrophobic finishes according to their requirements.
• The company manages the entire leather production process, from the purchase of raw animal hides exclusively in Germany, through tanning, dyeing, typesetting, pre-assembly and finishing, before a final check for quality control.
• Josef Heinen’s responsible performance leather is sold under the Terracare brand and is water and dirt-repellent, flame-resistant, breathable, bacteria-free, odourless, comfortable and durable.
• The company’s signature leather uses naturally occurring lipids within the hide, to create a hydrophobic leather, which does not require finishing with a DWR (durable water repellent).
• The company’s Terracare Leather uses non-toxic chromium III in its tanning, rather than the carcinogenic chromium VI used by some tanneries. It also offers Terracare Zero Chrome and certified Terracare Zero CO2 variants.
• Josef Heinen claims its leather produces at least 30% lower CO2 emissions than the industry average, as a result of its energy mix, including renewable energy and capturing waste heat; its production facilities are certified by the German Leather Federation’s ECOL audit protocol, which audits producers against industry averages.
• Joseph Heinen manufactures its leather in Germany and notes that its social responsibility commitments are regularly certified by institutions including TÜV.
• In collaboration with Forschungsinstitut für Leder und Kunststoffbahnen (FILK), Josef Heinen trains apprentices and tannery masters, and enrolls six apprentices every year to complete their training as leather technicians or master chemists.
• Joseph Heinen’s brand partners include shoe manufacturers Hanwag, Ricosta, Duckfeet, Mephisto and Meindl, and bag makers Bree and Salzan, among others.
• Joseph Heinen has been Gold Rated according to the Leather Working Group since March 2011. The same year, its Terracare Zero CO2 product was named Best Innovation for Leather at the APLF Awards 2011.