Tanning

Tanning is necessary in order to preserve hides so that they can be used for leather furniture and garments. Tanning is the process whereby perishable raw hides are turned into a permanent and non-perishable form of leather.

There are different ways of tanning:

Vegetable tanned leather is tanned exclusively with vegetable tanning agents (extracts of plants, bark, fallen fruit etc.)

Chrome tanned leather is tanned with chromium salts and/or mineral salts. This is the most widely used tanning method.

Synthetic tanned leather has been tanned chemically by synthetic tanning agents. Synthetic tanning agents are a chemical reproduction of vegetable tanning agents.
 
Read more about tanning agents