Pakistan is one of the world’s biggest leather producing countries. A large proportion of the leather they produce ends up in garments, shoes and accessories sold by big brands in Europe and the Netherlands. More than 500,000 people in Pakistan are working under deplorable labour conditions to produce this leather. They work long hours for low wages that often don’t even cover their basic needs. Many workers struggle with severe health issues due to their daily work with toxic chemicals and dangerous machines.
NOOR photographer Asim Rafiqui travelled in October 2016 to Karachi, where he photographed the miserable working conditions faced by workers in Pakistan’s leather industry.
Workers handle the ‘wet blue’ skins as they arrive at the loading bays. The leather is then passed through a pressing and scraping machine, which removes excess materials from the surface, as well as smoothing and pressing the leather. The use of this heavy machinery is dangerous. Safety training is said to be lacking and these industrial pressing machines had not been covered properly, leading to accidents. There have been several cases where workers have lost their hands or arms while operating machinery under stress to meet production quotas.
Workers sew the various pieces to complete the customer’s order.
Men clean and shave animal skins using various chemicals and acid mixes. The ‘wet blue’ leather is prepared at this facility.
At the colour mix lab, lab technicians mix colours based on specific customer requirements.
Workers clean and shave animal skins using various chemicals and acid mixes. The ‘wet blue’ leather is prepared at this facility.
Fresh ‘wet blue’ leather arrives at the unloading bays. It is known as wet-blue because of its colour, which is derived from the chromium that is used to turn the hides into leather. It is reported that chrome-tanned leather represents 80 per cent of the global leather supply. Unprotected exposure to chromium can cause various health issues, including skin infections and respiratory diseases.
Muhammad, a tannery worker from Karachi, is a member of a tanneries labour union. Muhammad is suffering from kidney failure. This started 14 years ago when he worked at the toggle machine, which dries and stretches the leather. He worked in extremely hot conditions that caused total dehydration of this body. He now needs to rely on dialysis but has to do this in his spare time. The management withhold his salary when he has to go for dialysis during working hours.
Men prepare animal hair, left over from the leather preparation process. The hairs are dried outdoors for several days and sold to manufacturers of mattresses and other household products.
Photo: Asim Rafaqui | NOORA worker removes sheets of leather skin from dying drums. The leather is immersed in pigment solutions and then rotated for several hours to ensure maximum and consistent colour absorption. The skins can then be drum dyed to set a colour or finish.
Men clean and shave animal skins using various chemicals and acid mixes. The ‘wet blue’ leather is prepared at this facility.
A large heater/dryer is used to stretch and dry recently washed and dyed sheets of leather. These sheets are pinned onto the nets as they move through the ‘toaster’-like drying machines.
A factory worker at a colouring and drying station.
Workers at a leather colouring/spraying station. The colour tones added to the prepared leather are based on different customer requirements.
The cutting and form-making room at a manufacturing factory making leather jackets.
A worker at an automated leather drying station. These drying machines are used alongside the air-drying method. The leather skins are clipped onto the large net, which then passes between the heating coils of the drying machine.
Karachi’s industrial area, Korangi – the tanneries can be seen in the background.
Karachi’s industrial area, Korangi – the tanneries can be seen in the background.
