After about 12 months of project implementation, the team has made substantial progress across all project objectives, with particular emphasis on demonstration, technology transfer, and pilot facility planning.

Tannery Baseline Survey:

Enabled through careful planning, training of survey staff and stakeholder collaboration, the baseline surveys for all ten functional tanneries in Addis Ababa and Modjo were completed successfully, with the final Baseline Survey Report published in September 2025. This effort involved extensive preparations and collaborative engagements with the tannery management for gathering data and insights critical to the project. In October 2024, the project team did a comprehensive review of the collected data with a specific focus on carbon footprint determination methodologies to align with the project’s environmental goals.

Enzymatic unhairing optimisation

Experimental trials with the selected enzymes using Ethiopian raw materials – bovine hides, goat skins, and sheep skins – were carried out under the watchful expertise of the  CSIR-CLRI and LLPIRC teams. Building on this work, LLPIRC then independently conducted additional trials, including the characterisation of the enzymatically processed leathers. These efforts contributed to refining unhairing parameters such as enzyme dosage, duration, and method, ensuring they were tailored to the Ethiopian substrate.

Demonstration to Industry Personnel

Building on the successful laboratory trials and parameter refinement, the next step focused on transferring this knowledge to industry stakeholders. A five-day demonstration programme on sulphide-free enzymatic unhairing was held from 23–27 June 2025 at LLPIRC in Addis Ababa. Nineteen participants, representing 11 Ethiopian tanneries, attended, observing both drum- and paste-based enzymatic unhairing methods using shortlisted enzymes (Texpro, Myrase, and UAL). The programme combined live trials with technical lectures delivered by CSIR-CLRI experts and hands-on pelt evaluations, giving participants direct exposure to the process. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with the industry expressing strong interest and readiness to pilot these trials within their own tanneries.

The next step involves implementing a comprehensive plan for commercial-scale enzymatic unhairing trials at five selected Ethiopian tanneries, including the selection of appropriate enzymes and tannery-specific protocols.

Pilot facility setup at LLPIRC for the utilisation of hair and fleshings waste

One of the central aims of the project is to facilitate crucial South–South knowledge and technology transfer between India and Ethiopia. This is being advanced not only through ongoing capacity building and training between the two project teams, but also via the establishment of a pilot laboratory facility at LLPIRC. The facility will be used to test and trial the production of organic supplements from hair and fleshings, serving as a lasting demonstration site for Ethiopian stakeholders to showcase the viability of waste valorisation. The setup is targeted for completion by November 2025.

Fleshing Waste Valorisation

The project team successfully optimised the hydrolysis process for converting fleshing into organic hydrolysate. A key focus was reducing the soluble lime content, which can limit the quality and usability of the hydrolysate. Promising results were achieved by adding phosphoric acid, which precipitated the excess lime as tricalcium phosphate, a compound that is itself a valuable source of phosphorus. This outcome points to the potential of developing NPK-type organic fertilisers, combining nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, directly from tannery by-products.

Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder engagement remains a key focus. Nineteen participants from 11 Ethiopian tanneries, together with 28 LLPIRC staff members, actively took part in a five-day enzymatic unhairing demonstration at LLPIRC from 23–27 June 2025. The sessions provided hands-on exposure to enzymatic unhairing processes and elicited positive feedback, highlighting strong industry interest and readiness to adopt the technology. In parallel, the CSIR-CLRI team completed a UNIDO-contracted feasibility study for the establishment of Modjo Leather City (MLC). MLC is a multi-stakeholder industrial and urban development project in the city of Modjo, aimed at establishing a sustainable and environmentally friendly leather processing hub. During the final presentations to the Ethiopian Ministry of Industry and other key stakeholders, the SMEP project and its core interventions, (i) enzymatic unhairing and (ii) sustainable valorisation of hair and fleshing wastes, were prominently featured. Their integration into the MLC design framework lays the foundation for long-term adoption and scaling of SMEP technologies across Ethiopia’s leather sector.

Knowledge dissemination 

As part of ongoing knowledge dissemination efforts, the project will showcase its progress on enzymatic unhairing at the IULTCS Congress, taking place in Lyon, France, in September 2025. In addition, the SMEP project will be represented at the Lineapelle International Leather Fair in Milan in September, where green technology interventions from Ethiopia will be highlighted, positioning the country as an emerging hub for sustainable leather innovations.

This international platform offers the opportunity to share Ethiopia’s advancements with a global audience of leather scientists and industry leaders.