1993

First Patent

Prof. Eckhard Weidner, head of Fraunhofer UMSICHT, and Helmut Geihsler, professional tanner, registered a patent for a technology that later was developed into Cleantan^®.

2006

Development of the actual Cleantan^® technology

The 1993 patent is developed into Cleantan^®. In the lab scale installation, leather samples of the size of a small coin were tanned, proving that the Cleantan^® technology actually works.

2008

Small processable pieces of leather

The technical scale installation produced the first usable and processable pieces of leather.

2009

Patent registered

The Cleantan^® patent was registered by Manfred Renner, the current chairman of Cleantan^®, Prof. Eckhard Weidner and Helmut Geihsler.

2012

Complete hides

The first 500 kg batch of complete hides was tanned in this pre-industrial scale tanning installation at the Fraunhofer lab in Oberhausen, showing that the Cleantan^® technology is fit for industrial quantities.

Innovation Award Cologne 2012
San Jordi Award 2012

Present

Available for the market

The Cleantan^® technology is available as a license on industrial scale for any leather tanning company, ready to implement in existing plant infrastructures.