The diagram shows the stages involved in the process of making leather goods. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words

The diagram illustrates how animal skins are processed in order to produce a range of leather items

such

as shoes, handbags and toys. In the initial stages of the process, the skin is air-dried before being loaded onto trucks and taken to a nearby factory where it undergoes two chemical treatments to clean and soften it.

Firstly

it is washed with a mixture of water and lime, and

then

it is soaked in concentrated/pure lime and pushed through a rolling machine in order to flatten it, after which it is submerged in a vat of tannin, which is a substance derived from vegetables. The

last

stage involves polishing the leather with a roller to improve its appearance. The pieces are

subsequently

transported by road to a processing factory where they are made into a number of everyday products like footwear and sports items in preparation for shipping.

Overall

, the diagram shows that, despite the fact that the process of treating animal skins is done mostly in factories with the help of machinery, it is still lengthy and complex, involving several stages.