E. I TANNED GOAT SKINS

This is an untold story.

It was never meant to be kept a secret and the people associated with, know it from the beginning. It is a beautiful story of the combination of unique tannage, E I tanning and sturdy animal Indian goat.

Why now the story to be retold? ???

World is waking up to the dangers of SHORT FASHION, its impact on environment, the total combined carbon footprint, and disposal of discarded dresses, footwear and accessories.

The world will eventually turn back to classical articles with a longer life span that consume less resource and leave behind a much lower carbon footprint.

What other material can one can think of as an alternate – a classical piece that will age gracefully with time – other than vegetable tanned leather with its surface aesthetic, a Patina that grows more beautiful overtime and its longevity. A material which, in spite of its durability, is biodegradable and does not involve any harmful chemicals in its tannage.

E I tanned goat perfectly fits into this situation.

Goat is very important species and livelihood in a developing country like India. It provides subsistence of small holders and landless rural poor, providing marketable commodities – meat, milk, skin and manure. Goat can thrive in almost all climate zones starting from high altitude of the Himalayas to arid plains of tropics, Rajasthan.

It is estimated that goat population in India is about 125 Million, which represents one-fifth of the world population. It contributes to one-third of the total meat production in India and about 3 Pct of milk production. Both meat and milk from goat are considered highly nutritive, with goat grazing on all different kinds of vegetation and scrubs. The brand Ambassador for Indian goat milk was none other than Mahatma Gandhi.

It is a continual fluctuation in goat population throughout the world. Goat grazing is forbidden by law in many countries because of the fear of ecological degradation and desertification. The Government of India has also such a policy to discourage the increase, in the population of goat.

After many debates the goat has finally won some friends in high place. The one, who befriends the poor, also befriends the goat. As humanity grows more human, the goat grows in stature. It is really “a poor man’s Cow “with adaptability to the land on which it lives and the vegetation around it. Goat has high level resistance to common disease that affects other live stocks and thus become more valuable.

The advantage of goat is further extended by her fecundity- two kids in normal temperature zones and triplex or quad are common in tropical warm climates,

This has resulted in an increased population of goat in India, rather than the decline seen in other countries such as Greece.

There are about 20 distinct goat breeds in India and many inter-breeds. There are no agencies or society to register animals of particular breed and the 20 distinct breeds established was on basis of DNA classification. Other factors used for classifying the goat are the size and the area where they live.

The popular breeds of goat are:
1) Jamnapari and Beetal – both large sized goat from North Western India
2) Surti and Marwari,- medium sized goat again from North Western India.
3) Malabari , Osmanabadi-, Tellicheri – medium goat from peninsular Southern India.
4) Bengal – a small sized goat from Eastern India.

The goat is much hardier animal and every respect, more fitted to the life of liberty. It is not easily confined to flock, but chooses its own pasture, striving whenever its aptitude are inclination lead. There is no industrial farming of Goat in India. It is either brought up in individual houses, or in small flocks. Consequently they live a life of liberty and under a good care.

There are estimated 3600 to 4000 slaughter houses in India. Out of them 76 are registered houses under APEDA (Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority).

There are 65 major integrated abattoirs cum meat processing plant and 11 stand alone abattoirs. These mainly cater to meat export industry and handle buffalo and sheep. The rest of the slaughtering houses catering to domestic market, under the control of Municipal Corporation. Goats are slaughtered in these slaughter houses (along with sheep and some buffalo). Goat is also slaughtered by private butchers at the villages.

India being the largest exporter of buffalo meat, the Government’s attention is now being more focused towards hygiene and veterinary control in all slaughtering houses whether for export or domestic. Many of illegal slaughtering houses have been closed in recent times. With the increasing awareness among the consumers – the slaughtering process in India will soon undergo the major changes towards betterment. The pollution control board has also taken up on issues of disposal products/procedures of the Slaughtering Houses and their cleanliness.

Halal slaughtering is the general norm for goat in India. Although there are small pockets, where stunning is practiced – , in the absence of reliable data , it is not possible to give percentages.

Vegetable tanning was known to mankind from times of Sumeria and Egypt.
Extensive evidence has been found of its use, starting from footwear to water carriers, to articles used in battle field and musical instruments.

The historical evidence available within India points to the vegetable tanning process practiced in Samayapuram near Trichy during the reign of Hoysala kings around 1300 A.D. Under their rule a group of families from MADIGAS (present day Andhrapradesh) had moved to Trichy. They had the skill in tanning of hides and skins using Avaram bark from the Avaram trees. Avaram was also known to have medicinal value and still is used, in this part, for home cure.

This could very well be the origin of tanning in Trichy and Dindigul area. East India Trading Company (Great Britain) which established a trading port in Madras (present day Chennai) was instrumental in taking this tannage to the West. Woven textile fabrics and tanned leathers were some of the principle commodities handled by the British company from Chennai along with other raw material. As they did with the weaving community, they must have also brought in some people with the knowledge of tanning to be settled in Madras. Eventually Madras Port became an outlet for tanned skins and hides when most other part of the India were shipping raw hides and skins.

The leathers exported from Madras tannery (was this tannery inside Port St. George?) was not very well received in Britain because of the darker color of the tannage using Avaram and Konam.

The breakthrough in the tannage came with an innovation of Mr. Charles de Sousa, the French Eurasian technologist. This was in the year 1847. He treated the Avaram tanned leather with the tan liquor from Myrabulam-which is a NUT available in the forest areas, again, another material used for certain ailments in native cure.

This treatment with Myrabulam turned the leathers into a clear and bright light yellow natural colour and found a ready acceptance among the European customer. Pungam oil was another input, as oiling off, to impart a shine. Thus was born E.I. Tanned Leathers, the name associated with East India Tanning Company.

Although there has been few changes in the ingredients and few chemicals added to the process, with the passage of time, the heart of the process remain unchanged , till this date

This tanning method gradually spread to other parts of Madras Presidency, into which parts of neighboring States were also included at that time.

Despite the spreading to other parts, Trichy and Dindigul remind the birth place of this tannage and still continue to be the Home for E. I. Tanning.

Over the years the tannage got refined, more and more, and the words “Super fine tanned” and ‘Extra super fine tanned” came to be used in common parlance. EI tannage was considered a finished leather and could go into a direct usage. It was referred to as dressed leather and its Tamil slang ” Dhiras” still in use. The word Semi-Tannage was introduced later for some commercial considerations. Even today it is used directly in leather goods, Sandels and Crafted products” Before Indian independence, the British had a monopoly of the trade in leather and their buying houses were all operating from Periamet, an area close to Madras port. Periamet still continues to be central market place for EI tanned skins both for export, as well as Domestic.

It initial days of E.I., production the resultant sludge and other by-products such as fleshing, raw skin trimmings, hair – all had ready out lets. But with inevitable changes that happened in the process itself and increased awareness of the environmental impacts resulting from the tanning industry, it became necessary to thoroughly treat the water and other products let out by the industry. The results were massive Common effluent treatment plant put up both by Dindigul and Trichy tanners with the help of Government agencies. The size and the operation of the plants instill a sense of confidence not just to the tanners but to the community as well. In addition to the Common Effluent Treatment Plant, each individual tannery has its own primary treatment to ensure smooth running the Common Effluent treatment plant.

All the great efforts taken by the tanners of Dindigul and Trichy, finally got its due recognition from the Government Agencies and GI Tag (Geographical Identification Tag) was given to E.I Tanned skins produced in Dindigul and Trichy. This was the year 2008 and the G I Tag had also its own logo.

G I Tag gave E.I tanning a distinct identity from other Vegetable tanning process and created its own space and mark as a unique tanning process. Present day production with old world charm.

The combination of this tannage and the hardy animal goat creates unique leather with relatively lower environmental impact as compared to other tanning process.

Needless to add that products made out of EI tanned goat skins, have a special place in Fashion markets of the world.

We are One of the Member to Producing the East India Leather (E.I. Leathers). That is vegetable Tanned Skins has been Approved and registered with exclusive Geographical product by the Geographical Indication Registry Through Dindigul and Trichy E.I. Leather vide G.I.No.95 of G.I.R.

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