The use of chemicals influences every aspect of leather and textile production. For textiles, it begins with the production of fibers, from herbicides and fertilizer used to grow healthy cotton to the processes that convert petroleum-based feedstocks into polyester fibers. Spinning oils supplement the yarn production process, and sizing chemicals strengthen this yarn to protect it while it is woven into fabric. Fabrics are chemically pretreated to purify them for dyeing and printing chemicals. Finally, chemicals are used in finishing, to imbue them with various properties like water-repellence, anti-wrinkling, and softening.

Preparing, tanning, crusting, and surface coating leather for commercial use is a complicated process which can take two weeks for a single batch. Chemicals are used in every stage of this process. Alkali liming solutions to remove Keratin and interfibrillary proteins during prepatory processes, and most tanning is accomplished with chromium(III) sulfate (or chrome – yes, just like the metal plating). Filling chemicals added during crusting makes leather harder and heavier, and impregnation agents applied during finishing can make the leather more water-repellent.