Brazilian global leather supplier JBS Couros has launched a new technology on its leather that inactivates the bacteria and viruses that cause COVID-19.
“Our leather has undergone scientific tests that prove the inactivation of the SARS-Cov-2 virus,” said Guilherme Motta, JBS Couros’ president. “The application of this new technology sets a new standard in leather production. It not only inactivates the spread of viruses, including Sars-Cov-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, but assists in the preservation of the material.”
Motta said this makes the leather ideal for use in surfaces that are used regularly or come into contact with a number of people, including furniture. Using the new technology, when the leather is processed, a silver micro-particle additive is added to the leather coating, providing it with antiviral qualities, according to the company. In tests conducted in the level 3 biosafety laboratory of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of São Paulo, the material showed 99% inactivation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 30 minutes from contact with viral particles, according to JBS Couros.
“The use of this technology increases the contact surface of silver and its prominence in the leather, enabling antiviral action,” said Lucio Freitas, a researcher who participated in the tests of the new material.
Freitas said the micro-particles are constructed from the synthesis of silver salts, an element chosen for its recognised antiviral action and stabilised by synthesis technology.
“We have worked to find the best conditions for the application of the additive, ensuring use of the appropriate equipment and regulations,” Motta added. “We also carefully tested the concentrations and application points of the technology which contributed to our success in the creation of this antiviral leather.”
JBS Couros, which started in the leather business in 2009, now has 21 production units, three cutting units, five distribution centres, three showrooms and four commercial offices on four continents. Currently, the company has more than 7,000 team members worldwide and produces leathers for sectors including home furnishings.
