Kima is a coating company specializing in PU. 

By combining the diversity of raw materials with PU coating, any raw material can express the texture of leather.

Recycled and upcycled leather, which has been studied for many years, is cheaper than regular leather, unlike existing recycled materials, but can express various leather surface textures well and meet consumer needs

Water-soluble adhesive (Waterbase) is used in recycled products to produce more eco-friendly products.

These products are products that contain the meaning of the environment in the diversity of fashion

In addition, by collaborating with SK Chemicals, more eco-friendly BIO PU coated leather has been realized

Accordingly, Kima will continue to devote itself to becoming a company that can share future values

Recycled Leather

Recycled leather refers to leather made from the raw material of bonding leather.

Bonding leather recycles scraps of finished waste leather or leather powder generated in the leather manufacturing process. It is leather that is mixed with scrap or leather powder polyurethane binder and then bonded to each other in paper form using an adhesive. Most bonded leathers are composed of 10-20% genuine leather. Recycled leather is a finished leather commercialized by adding polyurethane coating to this bonding leather and embossing it to have the texture of real leather.

The finished recycled leather is classified as composition leather (HS CODE 4115.10-0000).

In the manufacturing process of bonding leather, it is very important whether the leather used for scrap is free of harmful substances and whether the manufacturing process of bonding leather has meaning for eco-friendly recycling.The bonding leather raw materials we selected are Italian products that have passed the European REACH Test, which is the most demanding among many companies in the world, and do not contain harmful substances.It is a product that uses eco-friendly water-soluble adhesive (Waterbase Glue) in the manufacturing process and compensates for water resistance by heat and pressure. Only proven bonding raw materials that have obtained recycling certification (GRS,) are used, and TC is available.

Upcycle Leather

Upcycled leather is leather that is used as a raw material by attaching scrap fibers from scraps of finely chopped waste leather to the back of non-woven fabric or woven fabric.

For surface treatment, a film made of polyurethane is attached to the surface and then processed and commercialized to give the texture of leather, and the back side looks much closer to real cotton leather due to the fibers of the leather.In the process of processing, waste leather is recycled, and its value is increased from non-woven or woven fabric to leather as a product, so it is called upcycled leather. Due to the leather fibers on the back, it contains more than 70% of leather, so it is classified as a leather fabric. In addition, upcycled leather has stronger tensile strength and durability than other recycled leathers due to non-woven fabric or woven fibers.

Upcycled leather is classified as Composition Leather (HS CODE 4115.10-0000,).

Our Upcycle Leather has passed the European standard AFIRM TEST (applied to Europe in 2021) by using materials that are not harmful from raw materials, and is a product that can be issued TC by receiving a recycling certification (GRS).

The fabric material used also uses recycled fabric to go one step further towards eco-friendliness.

Water-Based Leather

Water Based Leather refers to leather whose surface has been worked by replacing the polyurethane chemical used for coating from Solvent Base (oil-based) to Water-Based (water-based).

Solvent Base Polyurethane has the disadvantage that even if a dust collection facility is well installed at the work site during coating work, harmful gases can be injected into the human body through the respiratory system and can be harmful, and VOC (residual harmful gases) remain even after drying.

On the other hand, Water Based Polyurethane has the advantage that the drug itself is not a petrochemical substance, and the diluent can be diluted with water to significantly reduce carbon emissions, and it is not harmful to the human body as no VOC (residual harmful gas) remains even after drying

When using water-based chemicals for coating, it is more difficult and complicated than oil-based work, so the defect rate is high and the desired material may not come out. However, we have overcome the limitations of the material after years of research

Instead, workability is difficult, drying is slow, productivity is low, and the raw material itself is expensive, so the production cost is high.

This Water Based Coating can be applied to general Split Leather, Upcycle, Recycle and Bio PU leather as well as coating chemicals and working methods.

BIO PU Coated Leather

BIO PU is urethane made by polymerizing polyether polyol among PU (Polyurethane) components used in coating with oil extracted from plants (eg corn, castor bean, apple, etc.) and polyester-based soft segment. By replacing the existing urethane with a process component, it reduces electricity consumed during petrochemical production, energy use such as gas, greenhouse gases, and atmospheric gas pollutants (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur oxides) and carbon emissions generated during disposal. Its purpose is to reduce This vegetable raw material does not mix well with general solvents when mixed with ether, so DMFa, a water-soluble solvent, is currently used. PRODUCT is produced as a product with zero harmful substances. Kima Corp.'s bio-coating material is SK Chemical's ECOTRION. Developed through long-term collaboration with SK Chemicals, Kima's BIO PU was developed based on industrial corn and has a carbon reduction effect of 20-30%, which means it is eco-friendly. In the finished product, it has excellent abrasion resistance, comfortable fit and soft touch

Pls refer the below Beta Test result for Biobased Carbon Content on KIMA BIO PU Coating : 37%

✅ Our Biomaterials are , SK Chemicals