Many people have a deeply rooted fear of Snakes, in spite of the fact that these lovely creatures are extremely shy, harmless and like to avoid contact with any animal larger than themselves. At the same time, the skin of snakes is appealing and is considered, by many customers, appropriate for clothing and accessories. With this in mind, fashion designers market clothes and footwear, made from snakes, as elite. With the extra distinction of being unusual, they command high prices as prestige items. Interesting patterns, strong textures, a broad variety of colors, and the shiny surface add to the allure.

Being a designer, I got a chance to study every Era in textile history. I feel lucky that we are in 21^st century- not like the "STONE AGE ERA," where textile industry barely had any establishment. We do not need to kill the animals and wrap their skin around us. Thank God! We grew culturally and globalization has helped us to understand every subject in a broad manner. We are answerable to our future generations. We have so much social responsibility that we cannot limit our thinking to ourselves. We should practice and preach SUSTAINABILITY, so that our future generations can also cherish all the beauty and recourses created by mother earth. At this point, it is worth mentioning some hard facts about the leather tanning industry. This not only impacts developed countries but also has lasting repercussions on wildlife and environment.

Tanning prevents the natural decomposition of animal skins, providing suppleness, color, and a finished surface in preparation for commercial manufacturing into leather goods. At the slaughterhouse, the hides are superficially cleaned of hair and flesh, and then dried and preserved in a pre-tanning operation producing raw hides. At the tannery, more than 60% of hides are treated through a chemical-based process using chromium, in a series of soaking and rinsing procedures. Finally, the skins undergo finishing where they get their final dyeing and surface treatment. During this long procedure, the skins are transferred from vat to vat, soaked in chemical agents, and rinsed in water and chemical solutions. (Oak bark tanning, which is used on a more limited basis, doesn't preserve leather as well, but is less damaging.)

Chromium sulfate is the most dangerous ingredient used, but many other chemicals are required, including alcohol, coal tar, degreasing agents, dyes, emulsifiers, formaldehyde, formic acid, lead, lime, resin blenders, sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, sulfuric acid, waxes, and zinc. (In all, 250 different toxic chemicals and heavy metals are used.) Tanning leads inevitably to the production of waste, occurring as wastewater, solid material, volatile compounds, and gases discharged into the air. This environmental impact is well documented and is a subject of serious concern. In addition to being a hazard in the workplace, the pollution contaminates ground water, nearby lakes, and rivers, seriously affecting humans and wildlife. The effluents clog sewers and are brought into irrigation systems where they affect soil productivity and fertility. High incidences of lung cancer, leukemia, and ulcers are reported among factory workers and in the local population. In most western industrialized countries, government scrutiny ensures that contaminants are ameliorated through sophisticated treatment facilities, but this is far from true among cottage tanners in underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh, where tanning is frequently adjacent to poverty-stricken population centers and no pollution control abatement exists. Even with environmental protection standards in place, India suffers scandalous levels of toxic hazards because of tanning. Examples like this are significant because with lower labor costs and less demanding environmental restrictions, developing countries have competed successfully with developed countries for more than 60% of world leather production.

When we talk about the development in the developing countries, it is related to the overall development of a country .The occupation and trade practices adopted by the workforce have a significant role and impact on their family values, social behavior and overall development within the framework of their countrys administration. There is a major need of education to understand the whole concept .Since every action is linked to its reaction, it is very important to understand how their act can cause serious problems. A vast number of innocent children are also involved in this unfair business practice since child labor is a very significant issue in the developing countries .The malnourished children quit study and start earning in a very young age by leather trade since their poor families cannot support them .Some of them never ever go to school. I, somehow, feel blame worthy for letting our haut monde mar their future for their own selfish needs? We can not circumlocute this subject. We have to question ourselves for what we are offering in our legacy to the next generation. We have to encounter and endure the bitter fact and seek some intelligent solution.