Synthetic leather is an artificially manufactured material that resembles leather. Its performance is similar to that of natural leather and it has the advantages of being animal-friendly and having a lower production cost.

Main application fields

Consumer sector: Clothing, luggage, and footwear are the largest applications. Data from 2018 shows that leather for clothing accounted for the highest proportion, followed by furniture, footwear, and luggage.

High-end sector: It is extending to automotive seat interiors, interior decoration, medical devices, etc.

Others: Sports equipment such as balls.

Production process characteristics

Traditional solvent method 

Immerse the polyurethane solution containing organic solvents (such as dimethylformamide DMF) into the fabric, and precipitate with water to form a porous structure, giving a soft feel similar to natural leather.

Disadvantage: DMF is harmful to manufacturers, processors, consumers and the environment.

Water-based solvent-free method (development direction) 

Apply the water-based polyurethane dispersion after foaming to the fabric, avoiding organic solvents.

Technical challenge: To ensure the stability of the bubbles, a higher viscosity is required, which hinders the infiltration into the fabric.

Dry method / Wet method process 

The dry process production line for PU synthetic leather includes high-precision coating, lamination, hot air drying, cutting, joining, and winding. The coating accuracy is uniform, and the product's touch and appearance can rival genuine leather.

Development Trend

The industry consensus is that it is necessary to produce synthetic leather that avoids the use of organic solvents.

With technological progress, the feel and appearance of synthetic leather have become very close to natural leather, and mechanical strength and chemical resistance are even better.

The upgrading of consumption drives mid-to-high-end synthetic leather to become the mainstream of the market, while low-end products are gradually.