Wenzhou, Zhejiang -- The city government of Wenzhou, estimates 50% of capacity for polyurethane synthetic leather could close in the city’s two Special Economic Zones by 2015, as regulations announced in January 2013 start to bite.
The announcement also put forward plans to set up monitoring systems for environmental pollution in the two zones by September 2014, with several new standards including requiring the concentration of DMF (dimethyl formamide) be kept under 0.2 mg/m3. Small companies are likely to feel the most pressure under the regulations, says the city government.
Wenzhou has been the hub of China’s PU leather industry for over a decade and today is the largest manufacturing base in Asia, with an annual production value of approximately RMB 15bn ($2.5bn), exporting to more than 100 countries.
Environmental pollution has long been a concern with non degradable pollutants such as DOP (dioctyl phthalate) and heavy metal used in the process by many small and low-end producers.
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